by Nikki Ashton
‘Hey, you okay to talk now, Roman?’
Roman nodded and shifted his features into something that looked less stressed.
‘Yes, sure, come through. Summer, you may want to join us in case we need any correspondence sending, or files finding. You know how bad I am at finding where you’ve put things on the shared drive.’ Roman gave me a quick, discreet wink and walked into his office.
‘Right,’ he said, as we all took a seat. ‘Let’s find out how much shit we’re actually in.’
Gareth punched away on his tablet, brought up some spreadsheets and gave them a quick once-over before looking up at Roman.
‘We’ve got some overdue invoices that total twenty four thousand pounds, and two that haven’t yet reached the terms of their payment date. They total just over thirty-one thousand pounds.’
‘When are they due?’ Roman asked as he jotted the amounts down onto his pad.
‘Both reach their payment terms in nine days.’
‘So, we’ve potentially got fifty-five-K coming in?’
Gareth nodded. ‘I’ve got Debbie doing debt chasing and reminders as we speak, although, we haven’t been able to get hold of Stan Davies for three days. He still owes us three grand of the twenty grand it cost for the extension we put on his factory.’
‘Let me know if you get him today,’ Roman said gravely. ‘If not, I’ll go around there myself. We did that job almost six months ago, so how come he still owes us?’
‘His terms were ninety days.’
‘Yes, but Gareth, that still means he’s three months overdue. How the hell did that happen?’ Roman threw his pen down onto the desk. ‘I should have been told about this before now.’
Gareth pushed his glasses further up his nose and blinked rapidly behind them. ‘He paid the majority of it on day eighty-nine.’
‘That’s the oldest fucking trick in the book, Gareth. We’ll be lucky if we see the rest of it. It’ll cost me more to take him to the small claims court than he damn well owes me.’
‘I’ll keep trying him,’ Gareth stammered as I watched him highlight a line on his spreadsheet.
‘If you don’t get hold of him by lunchtime tomorrow, I want to know.’
As Roman sat back in his chair, I flicked my iPad until I got to his calendar to add a reminder to check with Gareth at midday the next day. I saw that Roman had four meetings in for the following day already, so put it into my calendar instead. Three of the meetings were with other building companies, and the other with a pub chain that were renovating one of their pubs in the town. So it looked as though Roman’s day was going to be filled with begging for work one way or another.
‘Right,’ Roman proclaimed, ‘who do we owe money to?’
Gareth’s face now broke into a smile, only very small, but still a smile.
‘Just three grand to Tyrell Bricks, and eight hundred pound to the mobile network.’
‘Which means,’ Roman said scribbling away. ‘That we could have over fifty-one-K in the bank soon?’
We then spent the next half hour discussing the situation and how much needed to be paid out to the contractors who were still on a retainer. At the end of it, Roman didn’t look as dejected, but things wouldn’t stay in a good place if The Palisades wasn’t started soon.
By the time Gareth went back to his office, Roman’s hair was a dishevelled mess from dragging his hands through it.
‘Why don’t you call it quits for today?’
I stood on tiptoe, smoothed down his hair, and then gently brushed my fingertips over his forehead. Roman’s eyes closed momentarily and his lips parted as he let out a small sigh.
‘I’d love to, but I should make some calls and try and drum up some work, just in case The Palisades goes totally to shit.’
‘Who are you going to call?’ I asked. ‘Let me help you.’
‘To be honest, Summer, I have no damn clue who to call. I’ve tried everyone, even a guy in Chester that Liam Robertson put me on to, but he’s at least six months off wanting his work starting.’
‘What about Ziggy’s’ I asked. ‘Is that going to be affected by all of this?’
Roman shook his head. ‘No, Henry is the major shareholder, and Ziggy’s is doing better than either of us ever imagined.’
‘Well, that’s good,’ I replied with a sigh. ‘So, are you prepped for tomorrow’s meeting with the brewery?’
He nodded and tapped a finger on a plastic wallet on his desk. It was full of papers and spreadsheets.
‘Yep, all done.’
‘Well then, call it a night. Go and see your mum, she’s called four times for you today. She wants you to go for your tea.’
‘She does? What did you tell her?’
‘That I didn’t think I’d see you today to ask.’ I smiled and pouted my lips. ‘I think that deserves a kiss.’
Roman pulled me to him and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. ‘Thank you, you’re definitely what I’d call a great girlfriend.’
I giggled softly.
‘She gave me the third degree every time, though. I’m sure she knows about us.’
‘We could just tell her,’ he said with a shrug.
My eyes went wide as I studied him, waiting for a cheeky grin that said he was joking.
‘I mean it, Summer. Let’s tell her. I know she’ll go over the top, and I know we’ve only been seeing each other a little over a week, but, let’s be honest, this thing between us is already much more than casual dating, isn’t it? And let’s also be honest, it started a lot longer than a week ago.’ He reached for my hand, and took hold of my fingertips, waiting for my answer.
I shivered as I thought back to our kiss in his office, knowing that was what he was talking about.
‘Are you sure?’
I knew I was, but Twinkle would likely make this out to be so much more than it was at the moment, and Roman would be the one that would have to deal with that.
‘Yeah, I’m sure. We can tell her together.’
‘Hmm, that I’m not so sure about,’ I joked, shaking my head. ‘Maybe it’d be better just coming from you.’
I leaned back to look up at him, and there was a huge smile on his face.
‘I take that back about you being a great girlfriend. You’re a bad one and a shit PA.’
‘Oi,’ I cried, slapping at his chest. ‘That’s not fair; I spoke to her four times for you today.’
‘Oh well, that’s okay then,’ he said sarcastically.
Roman started to laugh and wrapped his arms around my back, engulfing me in a strong, gorgeous-smelling hug. He felt warm and safe, and I could have stayed there forever. It hadn’t escaped my notice that, even though we were still fairly casual, how I was falling for him, but it wasn’t a scary thought. Roman had obviously thought our relationship through, and his confidence in what we were doing was rubbing off on me. Okay, so there may well come times where working together and being in a relationship would be difficult. But Roman was right in that we should just take it one day at a time, and I really wanted it to work.
‘So according to your mum, it’s burgers and waffles for your tea tonight,’ I said against Roman’s chest.
He pushed me away from his body and looked down on me.
‘Knowing that, would you like to come with me?’
I thought about it for a few seconds, and nodded. ‘Okay, why not.’
‘Shit, you are insane.’ His eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. ‘What?’ he asked, as I started to giggle.
‘You, you make me laugh. Your mum isn’t that bad.’
‘Firstly, it’s a minor fucking miracle that I can make anyone laugh this week, and, secondly, you’ve met my parents, they are that bad.’
‘Whatever. Just go home and take a nap or something, and I’ll pick you up at six-thirty. Apparently your “tea will be on the table at seven sharp”.’
‘Summer,’ he rumbled. ‘I’m not going home to nap at four-thirty in the afternoon, and I’m certainly no
t letting you pick me up.’
‘Don’t be such a chauvinist,’ I responded with a resounding slap on his chest. ‘I can drive and you can have a drink. After all, you’re the one that seems to need alcohol to get through an evening with your mum and dad.’
He grinned and nodded.
‘Hmm, you could be right, although that will change. I’m sure after tonight you’ll be knocking back the gin. So maybe I’ll concede on the lift, but not the damn nanna nap. I’m a virile young man, not an eighty-year-old pensioner.’
‘Not so sure “virile” is the word I would use.’
That earned me a slap on the backside.
‘Take that back unless you want me to show you right here, right now, exactly how virile I can be.’
Biting on my bottom lip, I shook my head.
‘Nope,’ I whispered.
My body was on high alert as Roman’s hand trailed up my side and cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing my nipple in small circles.
‘Did you just say “no”?’
I nodded my head.
‘So you want me to show you, is that it?’
I couldn’t speak, my head and body were in such whirlwind. Even if I could have formed words, I would have agreed with Roman showing me.
As his fingers moved to my blouse, and slowly started to unbutton it, I shivered with anticipation. Once the buttons were open, Roman pulled my blouse from the confines of my skirt and pushed it from my shoulders. He then dropped his head and slowly kissed along my collarbone until he reached the bottom of my neck, where he gently nipped at my skin.
‘You are so beautiful,’ he murmured against my flesh. ‘Now get the rest of your clothes off while I lock the door.’
‘What did I say about being bossy?’ I asked breathily.
‘We’re at work, I’m allowed to be bossy. Now, get your damn clothes off.’
As Roman went to the outer office door, I unzipped my skirt and let it drop to the floor with my blouse. Next to go was my white bra, and, by the time he returned, I was standing in my white thong and black Kurt Geiger stilettos—I told you, I love my shoes.
‘Summer.’
Roman breathed out my name reverently as he slowly walked towards me, unbuttoning his flannel work shirt and pulling it off with the cuffs still fastened. His eyes stayed on me as he unbuckled his belt, and then undid his jeans before letting them slip down his muscular thighs. He bent to take off his boots and socks, still eyeing me intently. My fingers twitched with longing to touch Roman’s hard, toned body; my lips trembled with longing to kiss his beautifully defined abs, and my fandango screamed with longing for his big, beautiful cock—I would not call it a disco stick, no matter what Emma said! Finally, he was naked, and he reached out a hand to me, his finger extended to trace around my nipple.
‘I think you should leave the shoes on,’ Roman said taking a step closer. ‘I want to feel those heels digging into me while I’m inside you.’
He then did something that made my heart beat faster than the wings of a humming bird. He took the sides of my thong in his hand and ripped them apart. Oh. My. Sweet. Lord. My fantasy had been fulfilled, and it was every damn bit as amazing as I’d read and dreamed about. I hadn’t even had to ask him to do it, and he hadn’t needed a pair of scissors.
‘Roman,’ I gasped. ‘Oh shit.’
Before I could say anything, he hoisted me up with my legs around his waist, and carried me over to his desk. He bent forward and, with a sweep of his hand, knocked everything off onto the floor. A tiny part of my brain flinched at the mess of paperwork that I’d probably end up sorting through later on, but the rest of my brain was drowning with desire. I gasped as Roman laid me on the desk, and spread my legs apart.
‘Rest your heels of the edge of the desk,’ he husked as he bent to kiss my stomach.
I did as I was told, and arched my back as his lips moved downwards, enticing me with kisses and nips on my sensitive skin. Making a slow journey down my body, along my pubic bone and onto the inside of my thighs, Roman drove me to desperation. I tugged at his hair, trying to force his mouth between my legs, but he was stronger than me.
‘We’re in the office remember,’ he chuckled softly. ‘I’m in charge.’
‘Roman, please.’
Then without warning, his body disappeared from between my thighs, leaving me feeling cold and isolated. I propped myself up on my elbows and saw Roman grabbing his wallet from his jeans on the floor. He flipped it open and pulled out a condom, ripped the foil open with his teeth and then put it on. God that had to be the fastest sheathing ever—if such a time had ever been recorded. Then, like a damn bullet to the chest, the realisation that the condom wasn’t necessary as a contraceptive hit me.
My heart was in pain.
I took in a deep breath. Nothing was going to spoil this moment. I was going to put my sadness aside and damn well enjoy being thoroughly sexed by Roman. He was happy—we were happy. For now, I was going to forget.
‘Lie back, sweetheart,’ he commanded.
Before my back hit the desk, he was between my legs again and thrusting inside me.
‘Wrap those sexy legs of yours around my back. I need to feel those heels.’
As soon as I’d done as he’d asked, Roman began to show me exactly how virile he was. His hands reached for mine and our fingers interlaced as he pulled them above my head. His mouth dropped to my lips and our tongues and teeth clashed as our kisses became heavy and frantic. This wasn’t the slow, languid sex that we’d had before: it was quick, hard and red-hot and every single cell within me buzzed with pleasure. Roman linked his fingers with mine and led me to the best orgasm of my life—ever.
With both of us breathing heavily, Roman leaned on his forearms, which were either side of my head, and brushed my hair away from my face. He looked down at me with a huge grin and kissed me gently.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Now do you take it back?’
I looked up at him with a lazy, hazy smile and nodded.
‘Yeah,’ I breathed out. ‘But I think you may have broken my fandango.’
‘Really, is that so? And what the fuck is your fandango?’
‘Well, if I need to explain it to you, then you’re not the man of the world that I thought you were,’ I giggled.
Roman nuzzled against my neck, and I felt his body shaking.
‘Are you laughing at me?’ I asked a little petulantly.
‘Nope, not at all.’ He then looked at me, sincerity replacing humour in his eyes. ‘I may have broken your fandango, sweetheart, but I think you’ve just broken the wall around my heart.’
At that moment, if I could have, I would have done a little victory dance. But as Roman was on top of me and nibbling at my neck, I had to make do with a little hip roll and a mental high five.
A few hours after our ‘desk sex’, Roman tightened his grip on my hand as we walked up his parents’ driveway, and I could see the tension in his shoulders.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Roman muttered almost to himself as his hand reached for the door handle.
‘Roman,’ I groaned. ‘If you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to you know.’
‘I want them to know, baby, I really do, but you do know she’s going to go way over the top.’
‘So leave it for now then. Wait for a while.’
Roman shook his head. ‘No. I’m sure about you and about us, so whether I tell her now or on our damn wedding day, she’s still going to go crazy.’
I started to laugh, but he was right: Twinkle was going to flip about Roman finding his Summer whenever we told her.
Just as he put his hand on the door handle, it was yanked open.
‘Roman!’
It was Tiffany, his sister, evidently on her way out, as she looked stunning in tight black leather trousers and a sparkly silver top that fell off her shoulder.
‘What are you doing here?’
Roman didn’t answer, but held up our conjoined hands in explanation. Tiffany�
�s hand shot to her mouth, and I was sure there were tears pooled against her lashes.
‘Really?’ she gasped.
‘Yes, really,’ Roman replied. ‘Now can we come in?’
‘Oh God, yes. Come in.’
Tiffany backed away from the door and into the hallway. She placed her handbag onto a small console table, and then hugged Roman to her. Roman kissed her cheek and wrestled himself from her arms.
‘Okay, Tiff, don’t go overboard,’ Roman grumbled.
‘I’m just so happy for you. You do know Mum is going to go wild about this,’ she giggled.
I watched their exchange and wondered what the hell was going on. He was thirty-one years of age and a good-looking man. Surely, she’d seen him with a woman previously? Before I had time to think about it anymore, I was suddenly grabbed into Tiffany’s embrace.
‘Oh Summer, thank you,’ she whispered in my ear. ‘We never thought he’d ever be happy again. He was so lost, after Michael; it hit him so hard. We were really worried about him.’
Losing Michael had evidently impacted on Roman much more than I’d realised. It appeared to have affected his family too.
‘Romy, is that you?’
A shaft of light lit up the hallway as the door into the lounge was swung open.
‘Hi Mum,’ Roman sighed, appearing to physically wither in his mother’s presence.
‘Mum, guess what?’ Tiffany gushed excitedly. ‘Roman and Summer are together. Look!’
Tiffany stood to one side and pointed down at our hands that were still joined.
‘Oh my Lord! Pete, Pete, come quickly, Roman is having sex again! And it’s with Summer. What did I tell you about her being his destiny?’
Telling my parents that I was in a relationship with my boss was proving to be far less eventful than telling Roman’s. Where Twinkle had opened a bottle of ‘pink sparkling’ to celebrate, my mum was making a cup of tea.
‘This is a little different to last night,’ Roman whispered against my ear.
‘I know, I doubt my mum will call my auntie to tell her I’m having sex again.’