Smokescreen

by Ahren Sanders

  She’s right, she always is. I hear her on the phone with Stella politely requesting she come here in an hour. The conversation must not be good because Dana has to convince her it’s very important and emails would not be appropriate. Then I hear her talking to Laci and explaining a bit about today. A smile spreads across my face when Dana tells her I’m not really a fuckwad. I guess Stella told her about last night. Laci doesn’t pull any punches. I make a note to get back on her good side.

  Different scenarios run through my mind trying to think of the perfect way to apologize. Finally ten arrives and the receptionist announces her arrival.

  Dana leads her back to the office. As soon as she walks through the doorway, all sense leaves my mind. She’s breathtaking. Not caring that Dana is here, I stalk to her. Right before I can grab her waist, her eyes grow wide as she realizes what I’m doing.

  Without warning, I pull her to me and slam my mouth to hers. I try to go slow and be gentle, but can’t. Her lips part slightly and the first taste of her on my tongue sends shockwaves through me. My dick jumps in my pants and starts to ache. Fuck! She tastes like vanilla and strawberry. I claim her mouth, trying to convey my apology. A burning need bubbles inside, but it quickly diminishes when I realize she’s stiff as a board in my arms.

  Pulling back, I peck her softly and run my thumbs across her cheeks, looking straight into her eyes. She’s shocked.

  “There is no one else. I’m not involved with anyone.”

  Her face relaxes but she still has her guard up. Dana gives me a wide smile and leaves shutting the door behind her. I link my fingers with Stella’s and walk her to the sofa, sitting us down.

  “I fucking froze last night. You deserve an explanation.”

  “Okay.” She looks at me with absolute confusion.

  “I’m not involved with anyone romantically. A woman lives with me, out of pure obligation on my part. It’s a long story, but I’ve wanted you since the minute you walked into my board room.”

  “You live with another woman?!”

  Shit! That’s all she heard?

  “Yes, but it’s complicated. I told you I had to make some hard decisions and she was one of them. I treated her badly and it bit me in the ass. I had to do something, so I let her move in.”

  “How complicated?”

  “Complicated enough that I have to share living space with her, but she has her own room. We live different lives.”

  “Can you explain a little more?”

  “Yes, but not today. I need you to know me, the real me, before I load your brain with the selfish, revengeful Maxwell McCoy. Every minute I’ve spent with you, is the real me. Working with you is a breath of fresh air. I remember how much I enjoy the business side of things. I love hearing your enthusiasm and new ideas, your knack for reaching out, your intelligence. There’s a connection between us and I know you feel it too. I may be a selfish bastard for pursuing you, but nothing can stop me.”

  “Max, my head is spinning. I’m not sure what you want from me?” She looks at me with an unreadable expression.

  I wrap my arm around her stiff shoulders and pull her closer, our noses almost touching. “I want you to see the Maxwell McCoy I can be when demands of business aren’t on my shoulders. Believe it or not, I used to have a life outside these office doors. I’d like to find that again and hopefully share some of it with you.

  “I want to get to know you, Stella, inside and out. We’ll be working together closely on this project, but after the workday is done, I’d like to see where the attraction takes us. I don’t want our relationship to be purely professional. I want more.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?”

  “Yes, why me? You’re a really successful businessman that dates models.”

  “Bella, don’t do that. Don’t belittle yourself. To me you’re exquisite and not just because of your physical beauty. You’re gorgeous and smart. Your ideas to give back to the communities in South America show your generosity. It’s been almost two weeks since you walked into these offices, into my life. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. The meeting with Chris, our dinner, last night, all the times we’ve been together have me wanting more. I’m completely drawn to you.” Her face softens at my declaration and use of the name I gave her last night.

  “What about your ‘roommate’?” She gives air quotes and I roll my eyes.

  “I’ll worry about Erica.”

  Her body relaxes a bit, but I can tell she’s still apprehensive.

  “Let’s try this again, I’m going to kiss you now. Then I’m going to try my best to keep my hands off you as we work through the day. Tonight, we’ll go out for a nice dinner and I’ll show you why we’ll be good together. It will end a lot differently than last night if I have my way.”

  She grins slightly and her gaze goes to my mouth. I lean in slightly teasing her and whisper against her lips.

  “I want to be clear here, when I kiss you again, you’re going to kiss me back. Do you understand?”

  She nods slightly and our mouths brush together. I try to wait for a verbal response, but my body reacts on its own. I pull her to me and lick the seam of her lips. She parts them and I slip in, my tongue finds hers instantly. She tilts her head for a better angle and I devour her. Sucking, nipping, and tasting her. My hands thread through her long hair pulling her as close as possible as she clutches my shirt. I deepen the kiss, trying to convey my apology and my hunger. Nothing in my life has ever felt this good. Her moans make me hard again and I find myself breathing only the air she gives me. I lose myself in this kiss and think about what else is to come. Moving her back to lie on the sofa, she allows me to cover her body with mine. I break away to kiss her jawline to her ear until a knock bangs on my door.

  She jumps underneath me, but I hold her tight, wondering who the hell needs me right now. The doorknob jiggles and I’m thankful Dana can lock my door from the outside with her key. Stella starts to wiggle which makes my cock harder and I reluctantly move off her.

  “McCoy! Let me in now! We need to talk!” Edward Hurst yells and I groan.

  “Stella, this is the asshole of supreme assholes. He’s not happy and he’ll probably say something inappropriate. He’s going to try and throw his shit my way, and I can take it. But if he starts on you, remain unaffected. Don’t let him get to you. You understand?” I whisper in her ear.

  She nods and reaches for her bag, making the coffee table in my office look like a workstation in seconds. We both adjust our clothing and a sense of pride surges through me when I see her lips are swollen and face flushed. She tosses her hair over her shoulder, shielding her face slightly and signals for me to let him in.

  When I open the door, Edward barges in with heat in his eyes. He doesn’t notice Stella sitting on the couch working.

  “What the fuck! I just heard from Brian you hired a no name, woman owned firm, to take care of this JOS shit! How dare you? We have major power players in this RFP that could not only bring us out of this mess, but also give us fucking perks. I thought you were supposed to be smart? Not run our business decisions on a pair of tits and loose pussy.”

  Stella does her best to control her temper, but the binder she was balancing drops and Edward looks over. His face softens a bit when he sees her, then his eyes narrow. It’s clear what he’s thinking.

  “Edward, this is Stella Sullivan, with Sullivan PR,” I say through clinched teeth wanting to punch the shit out of him for the crude remarks.

  Edward regains his composure a little and shakes her hand then looks back at me. “Why was your door locked?”

  “It wasn’t,” I answer coolly.

  “The hell it wasn’t!”

  “Well, I guess Dana did that by accident.” I give him a look that is both icy and resolute.

  “Tell me what you’re working on,” he demands.

  “You already know.”

  “Surely if you hired her firm, she doesn’t need you to hold her hand. We
need to be looking at acquisitions and you are working on a PR strategy? What the fuck, McCoy? Is Brian right?”

  Stella audibly hisses. She gives me a questioning look.

  “Edward, you should be very careful here. Choose the next words out of your mouth delicately. Your position on the board is in jeopardy. Do not make me call HR to give a complaint about your inappropriate actions to a third party vendor. If you want a meeting, talk to Dana and we’ll schedule a time. But I’ll remind you, I make the decisions at a company level. Brian was uneducated, biased, and looking for gifts. He was not looking out for the interest of Hurst & McCoy, nor our JOS brand. I’ve taken over. So you will hear the plans to re-build with the rest of the board. Is there anything else?” He looks at me with disgust and then plasters on a fake smile. He knows I will take care of this mess and make him a few million dollars—or more.

  “No, boy, nothing else.” He looks between Stella and me and decides to drive a point across. “I’ll see you and Erica at dinner Sunday night.” Then he walks out smirking at Stella.

  Her face drops and she looks at me with hurt.

  I close the door, nodding to Dana to lock it again. When I get to the sofa, I lift her and put her in my lap. Holding her close. The smell of a floral fragrance fills the air around us and I inhale deeply, trying to tame down my anger.

  “So he really is a jackass, huh?”

  “Yeah, babe, the king of jackasses.”

  “You go to dinner with your roommate at his house?”

  Shit! I wanted to avoid this for a while. But she needs to know the truth.

  “Erica is his daughter.” I wait for her to cuss me out, but she doesn’t. She surprises me by smiling and handing me a binder.

  “Well, I guess we should prove to him I’m not just a pair of tits and loose pussy, huh? Let’s get to work.”

  Jesus Christ! Hearing the word pussy from her mouth makes me want to jump her. But I refrain and we continue our outline from last night. Eventually, she slides off my lap and sits next to me, pointing out different scenarios. Dana only interrupts with lunch and hourly check in’s. She winks at me several times because she knows how much all this means to me.

  Seven hours later, we’re done. Somewhere during the day, Stella took off her sky-high pumps and locked her hair in some sort of a clip. She paced the office and then called Dana in for a break. Well, a break for them. I had to do a read through of the press release for the morning show tomorrow. She and Dana instructed me on how to be sensitive, yet stern and talk straight to the camera. I was washed out and tired, but I kept going because of Stella’s energy. Dana mentioned dinner being delivered but I gave her a crooked look and she nodded, then left for the night.

  “Stella, we’re going out to dinner.” I make my way to the bar and pour a scotch.

  “Once again, Mr. McCoy, you didn’t ask. And don’t worry, I can’t go out to dinner, so don’t ask.”

  I spin around to see her packing her bag, not looking at me. “Why not?”

  “It’s taco night at my house. Laci and I do taco night and watch TV. I do the cooking and she heats the—well she doesn’t do much.”

  “Is this a girls’ night?” Please say no.

  “I guess not, sometimes our friend Ryan comes, and he’s not a girl.”

  Jealousy stirs inside me. Who the fuck is Ryan?

  “Who’s Ryan?” I ask gruffly.

  “A friend from college.”

  “Well, if he comes, he can enjoy the world class Margarita’s I make. I learned from the best.” I start to gather my things and mentally make a list of items to pick up.

  “I don’t recall inviting you.” Stella looks at me with humor in her eyes.

  It takes two strides to get to her and my hands cup her face. I lean in and gently kiss her, tasting only vanilla this time.

  “Can I come to taco night?”

  “That, Mr. McCoy, is the way to ask for something. Be at my place at seven.” She looks nervous but lifts and pecks my lips lightly.

  When she leaves, there’s one more thing to do before I hit the store and go by my place.

  I call Dana’s cell. When she hears what I need she laughs her ass off and agrees. She’ll handle the details and prepare the announcement. After tomorrow, I hope it’s clear, don’t ever second-guess me, and don’t fuck with Stella Sullivan.

  “You may be a fucking tool, but you make a great Margarita!” Laci shouts across the table. She’s on her third and evidently feeling the effects.

  “Lace!” Stella’s face blushes as she looks at her friend. “I told you it was a misunderstanding.”

  Reaching over, I drape my arm around her and pull her closer.

  Laci and their friend Ryan stare at us. Ryan is a large guy. Taller than me with a muscular build, and I consider myself pretty big. As soon as he walked in, I wanted to claim Stella. Laci and she ran up to him and clung tight. I didn’t like the way his arms wrapped around them, specifically Stella. It was all I could do to push down my jealousy and continue making drinks.

  “Tell me again what that idiot said,” Laci asks Stella, referring to Edward’s outburst.

  Stella replays the scene in my office. Hearing how badly he disrespected her, still angers me. She laughs about it, but Ryan glares at me. I try to think of something to talk to him about and the only thing that comes to mind is sports. He finally opens up when he talks about his fantasy drafts in a few weeks and the key players he’s going after. I sigh in relief because, fantasy football is my specialty.

  My phone starts vibrating in my pocket and Erica’s name pops up on the screen. Stella raises an eyebrow at me when I silence it.

  “Come on, let’s finish cleaning the kitchen. I need to get into my bed. These margaritas taste great now, but I’ll regret this third in the morning,” Laci says to no one in particular.

  “I’m going to drive you home, Lace, Stels can bring your car to the office tomorrow.” Ryan says clearing the table.

  No one argues and I help take dishes to the kitchen. The faster we get this done, the faster they leave Stella and me alone. I watch the three friends move in sync and stand back to memorize where everything goes. With my situation at home, I hope to be here a lot.

  It could be the drinks, but Laci thaws towards me and hugs me tight before leaving. Ryan shakes my hand and I invite him to join my brothers and me in our SportsLine league in a few weeks.

  Stella hugs and kisses them both before walking them out. I take the opportunity to look around her place and take in her style. Photos of her and I assume her parents and sister at football games, family vacations, and multiple black tie events. Laci and Ryan are all around too. In every one of the pictures, Stella’s smile draws me in. She’s stunning.

  The door shuts and I turn to see her watching me. It’s been hours since my office and I’ve wanted to taste her again since arriving. I walk to her and stop when she braces her hand on my chest.

  “Max, we need to talk.” She takes my hand and leads me to the sofa. “I’m not sure this ‘we’ thing is a good idea. Maybe we should play it cool until we have JOS taken care of.”

  “Why?” My voice is harsh.

  “I own a small boutique firm. My reputation is everything to me. My decisions and actions are very planned and calculated. It’s been a hard road to get me to where I am. You saw how Brian treated me without regard to any of my ideas. It would crush Sullivan PR if rumors flew I got the job because I’m seeing you.”

  “Dating me, you mean? Because I see you everywhere I go. You’re in my head non-stop. So seeing each other isn’t the right word.”

  “We haven’t known each other long enough to be dating!”

  “Says who?”

  “Me! We’ve just met; we hardly know anything about one another.”

  “Are you attracted to me?”

  Her face heats up and eyes grow wide. “You know I am.”

  “Besides my looks, what are you attracted to? I know what I look like. Dark hair, blue eyes,
muscular. I’ve never had a problem with women in my life. But explain what makes you like me.”

  She’s quiet, too quiet. Then she looks at me with sincerity. “I like how you talk about your family and how much you love them. It’s amazing how you gave up everything you had going on to come home and take over for your dad. You’re brilliant and humble, never throwing around your position. You listen to me when I talk and act like the things I say are interesting. You’ve met my best friend and didn’t run. And tonight, you made Ryan feel comfortable, even though he was sizing you up. The way you stuck up for me in your office today was flattering. And you went to the trouble to find out my favorite wine. You’re very charming.”

  “See, those reasons right there are exactly why we are a good idea. Not once did you mention my position, status, or money. We could sit here all night and it still wouldn’t be enough time for me to tell you the reasons I’m attracted to you. You’re genuine, Stella, and I want you in my life. I don’t put a timeline on these things. We’ll get to know each other, spend time together, learn these things together. Don’t lump us in a generalized category of how things are supposed to go. I’m not your normal man, if you haven’t already figured that out. I personally look forward to every minute of getting to know you.”

  “It seems you have some baggage that may cause us problems.”

  “Let me handle the baggage. You keep being you.”

  “Can we keep it quiet until our project is over?”

  Shit! That’s not at all what I want, but I understand where she’s coming from. Her business is important to her.

  “If that’s what you want. I don’t like it, but I’ll do it for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Come over here and convince me I didn’t just fuck up.” I hold my arms out and she lunges forward forcing me back. We fall against her sofa and our faces are centimeters apart. I grow hard against her thigh and she grins.

  “Another thing, Max, I want to take this slow. My last relationship didn’t end so well.”