Breaking the Rules

by L. K. Lewis

  “Hmmmm, I can get on board with that idea,” I yawn as my lids get heavy. Some date I’m going to be tonight, Drake wants to make love into the wee hours of the night, and I’m ready for a nap!

  “You’re sleepy, Morgan. Why don’t you close your eyes for a while, and when you wake up, we can order pizza and watch whatever is on TV?”

  Drake softly rubs my back while I fade further into sleepy oblivion. I remember nodding once before falling asleep.

  Chapter 16

  Drake

  I watch Morgan sleep softly on my shoulder for a long while before finally passing out. I wake up an hour or so later, and she is still sleeping soundly but has rolled away from me, resting her head on her pillow. I can’t resist, I lift the covers slightly and get a good glimpse of her beautifully round buns. I reach out and gently caress them briefly until she smiles slightly and stirs in her sleep. I tuck her in and kiss her forehead before turning off her iPod and leaving the room. I’m not sure what to do with myself since I haven’t spent much time in her place, so I decide to clean up the aftermath of our talks in the tub, and order pizza. I decide a little bit of fresh air would be nice, so I walk to the movie store and pick up the pizza rather than have it delivered. Not sure of Morgan’s taste, I decide to play it safe with a rom-com and pizza margherita.

  “Hey, you’re back,” Morgan says sleepily when I return to her apartment. “I got your note, you are very sweet,” She says referring to the “back soon with dinner, movies, and a kiss” message I wrote on her mirror with lip gloss I found in a drawer. I even put some on and kissed the mirror hoping to make her laugh.

  “If you ever mention to anyone about the lip gloss kiss, I’ll deny it,” I tease. “You were out forever, my love, you must have really needed that nap.”

  “Yeah, I think all of the stress of dealing with your ass the last few weeks finally caught up with me,” she winks, “I feel so good after our talk this afternoon, maybe I finally was able to let go of that stress and get some quality sleep. I believe I was promised pizza, movies, and a kiss … are you holding out on me, Baylor?” Morgan asks as she puckers her lips, making sure to give me a pout at the same time.

  “Damn, I thought our hot sex wore you out,” I say with a playful smile, leaning down to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry, we still have over 24 hours ‘til Monday.”

  *****

  Morgan

  Sunday evening finally comes, and I really don’t want Drake to leave. We have shared the most magical weekend of my life together, and I’m not ready for it to end. Fabulous lovemaking aside, we also had really great discussions about our new relationship, and how we’re going to deal with keeping it from Drake’s father. We also spend time getting to know each other, as silly as that sounds. Our love didn’t really blossom as it normally does for couples. Generally speaking, two people meet, there is a fondness or attraction towards each other, they get to know each other, and through that process, love may grow. For Drake and me, it all happened instantly. The attraction was there for sure as soon as our eyes met, but love was there too. From our first meeting we were in love with each other, it just took a few gut-wrenching weeks to admit it to each other, and ourselves.

  “I really don’t want to go home, Morgan, but you are practically falling asleep in my arms, and we both need our rest if we are going to have the strength to stay away from each other at work starting tomorrow,” Drake whispers softly in my ear as I snuggle him on the couch, my head on his chest.

  “Don’t go. I sleep so well with you in my bed,” I mumble into his shirt.

  “Me too, baby, but I really should go. Do we need to talk about work tomorrow before I leave? I want to make sure we are on the same page, so there aren’t any miscommunications or hurt feelings.”

  Drake is so thoughtful. This is his way of letting me know he needs to be distant tomorrow and doesn’t want me to take it personally.

  “I’m okay, thank you,” I say as I reach my head up to give him a soft, reassuring kiss. “You are so sweet for thinking of my feelings, and I understand that we will need to maintain a professional relationship at work.”

  “It’s more than that. Not only do we have to be nothing but straightforward and professional with each other, we have to make sure to never say anything about us to anyone else, or even infer that something may be going on. I think we should do our best to maintain a single, career-driven focus as well. It’s natural for co-workers to want to be friendly, or even set other co-workers up on dates. I think we should both keep our heads down, and our goals in mind, and not try to form any friendships with people in our office, especially you. It makes sense that as a boss I wouldn’t fraternize with people that work for me. It’s also widely known that I’m working towards CEO, so my distant but friendly behavior would be understandable to most. You are a new hire, and one that has started fairly high up in the company too. If you are overly friendly with others in the office, they may want to spend time with you socially, or set you up on dates, and you turning them down will just fuel the water cooler gossip. Being distant isn’t bitchy. If you keep your nose down at work, not only will you excel at the company as you already are, but you will also be leading by example to your co-workers by letting them know that you are there to work and succeed, not make a bunch of friends. If we both do this, and remain professional with each other, we might be able to pull this off without anyone getting wind of us, or realizing that while we are in the boardroom, I will be undressing you with my eyes, and dreaming of every naughty thing I will want to do to you when I get you home that night,” he finishes with a wink that makes me blush.

  “That sounds good to me. I’m new, I have a lot to prove, and I want to do well in my career. It will be easy for me to stay busy and focused,” I agree.

  “It’s going to be hard not to find ways to gently touch you, or sneak glances your way. I don’t do that with the other staff, so I can’t do it with you. I want you to remember that it doesn’t mean that I love you any less, I’m just protecting what we have, which is the most important thing in the world to me.”

  I sit up from Drake’s chest, looking into his eyes and leaning my forehead against his. “You are the most important thing to me too. I completely understand and agree with you. I may have days where it’s hard to be away from you, but you’ll just have to make up for lost time when we get home,” I say with a smile.

  “Don’t worry, I will.” He kisses me passionately, letting me know how much he loves me. As he turns and walks to the door, he pauses and looks at me. “I’ll really miss having you in my arms tonight. Sweet dreams, Morgan Lane, I love you.”

  I walk over to him, pulling him close. “I love you too boyfriend-not-boyfriend, I miss you already. I’ll see you tomorrow at our staff meeting.”

  With a frown, Drake leaves my apartment. I decide to busy myself so I don’t run after him and make him stay with me tonight. I wash and dry my hair so I can sleep an extra 30 minutes tomorrow morning, select an outfit from the brand new work wardrobe my mother purchased for me, then crawl into bed, letting sweet memories of my weekend with Drake pull me softly to sleep.

  Chapter 17

  Morgan

  Drake: Good morning, I wanted to tell you before we head into work this morning and I won’t be able to tell you all day that I love you. Have a great day at the office, my love, I’ll miss you. Waking up to Drake’s text warmed my heart. As always, he is so sweet and attentive.

  Me: I love you too, I missed you last night. I had to fill my time doing boring things like picking out my work clothes and actually sleeping I’ll miss you today as well, especially when we are in the same room. Have a wonderful day at the office. Xo

  Drake gives me a courteous nod hello as I walk into the boardroom for our usual Monday staff meeting. “Good morning Mr. Baylor” is all I say before turning my attention to others in the room and greeting them as well. The meeting goes well as it normally does. I do my best to offer creative insight,
and look at Drake only when speaking directly to him. The rest of the morning is pretty uneventful. I eat the brown bag lunch I packed for myself this morning in my office, politely excusing myself from lunch in the company break room with my co-workers, so I could “tackle the workload every Monday brings.” I hope that was a good enough excuse!

  At around 3pm I get a case of the afternoon yawns and am just about to stretch my legs and get a cup of coffee from the break room when I get a text from Drake.

  Drake: Get in the elevator. I’m breaking the rules today.

  Me: k

  I grab a file from my desk, hoping that if anyone notices me getting on the elevator, they won’t think anything of it. I smile when I stepped into the empty elevator, only to be joined on the 17th floor by Drake. “You planned ahead, Mr. Baylor, the 17th floor was a smart choice.” I say, finally letting myself take an appreciative glance at my smartly suited boyfriend.

  “I see you did as well, Miss Lane, nice file!” Drake says with a sexy smirk. “We really can’t make a habit of this, and I’m so sorry for going back on my word of keeping distance at work with you on the first day no less, but I’ve missed you so much today.”

  I quickly squeeze Drake’s hand, letting it go immediately. “I miss you too. It’ll get better, just make sure to keep your eye on the prize,” I try to reassure him.

  The elevator approaches the 30th floor, and Drake leans in and gives me a swift kiss before standing up tall and looking forward towards the doors.

  “Would you like to have dinner at my place tonight?” Drake asks. He doesn’t give me time to respond, he already knows the answer. “I’ll text you my address,” he whispers as the doors begin to open. I smile as he exits the elevator, making sure to check out his adorable ass in his suit. When I get back to my office, I grab my phone out of the drawer and send him a quick text.

  Me: I hate to see you leave, but I love to watch you go xo

  I’m such a dork, but I know my silly text will make Drake smile.

  Drake: c u l8r xo

  It’s going to be hard to concentrate the rest of the day. Good thing I worked through lunch!

  Drake

  My patience is evaporating as I wait for Morgan to arrive at my place for dinner. I haven’t been able to hold her since yesterday, and it’s killing me. I know it was a bad idea to ask her to meet me in the elevator, but I couldn’t help myself. I’ll have to control myself better, or we’ll be in real trouble. A soft knock on my door makes my stomach flip. Morgan is finally here and I can kiss her like crazy.

  “I thought you might come right after work, did you get lost?” I ask as I lead her into my home.

  “I uh … I went home first to change out of my work clothes and … pack an overnight bag?” She says me nervously. Glancing down at her hands, I notice she’s carrying a small overnight bag and a garment bag. She packed work clothes. I think I just got hard.

  “I don’t have to stay if you don’t want me to, I just wanted to be prepared.” She looks sad and nervous, that breaks my heart.

  “Morgan, are you okay? Why are you nervous, my love?”

  “I don’t know. I just missed you so much today, and you just asked me to dinner, not to stay, I guess I was nervous to show up with my luggage. I don’t want you to think I’m moving too fast by showing up with a wardrobe and travel bathroom.”

  “Oh, Morgan, I don’t think I could ever think of you as moving too fast. I wish I could shout from the rooftop that you’re my girl. I’m so excited you are here in my home. I’m even more excited that you want to stay tonight. I missed you last night, it was not the same sleeping without you. I want you in my arms tonight,” I say, while making a mental note to get some stuff for her to keep at my house so she doesn’t even have to worry about a bag.

  “Okay, thanks,” she says as her beautiful smile crosses her face. “Where should I put my bags?”

  I grab her bags, and take them to my room.

  “Come here, baby,” I say as I return to my living room. Morgan walks right into my outstretched arms, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I just opened a bottle of white wine, are you hungry for dinner yet?”

  “I could be, what’s for dinner?”

  “You could be hungry? That’s usually a yes or no, silly girl,” I say, gazing down at her in my arms as I kiss her head.

  “If dinner is cold, or not prepared yet, I say we snuggle on the couch. If it is warm and ready, I say we eat now.” She looks up at me with a smile. “So I could be hungry, what’s for dinner?” Morgan giggles. I love her carefree laugh. I think she is starting to relax a bit.

  “I haven’t yet figured out your favorite foods, so I wasn’t sure what to get. Judging by your empty cupboards and condiment-only fridge, I’d say you don’t like to eat at all,” I tease. “So I figured I’d make us one of my favorite meals tonight. Just part of our long road of getting to know each other before we get to take the larger steps,” I say, referring to our conversation Saturday night. “I bought some good wine, crusty bread that I’ll warm in the oven, and all of the fixings for build your own salad bar. How does that sound?” I shrug.

  “My man likes chick food? I love it!” She squeals.

  “Well, my ego wouldn’t exactly call it chick food, but I work out most nights after work, and I don’t like to eat a heavy meal afterward. You know I’m not a good cook, so this is light and easy. Plus it doesn’t take forever to make.”

  “This is perfect! It’s exactly what I like too!” She leans in and gives me a big kiss. “Just to continue the get to know you stuff,” Morgan says while tightening her arms around me, still in my embrace, “I usually only eat meat at restaurants because I have no idea how to cook it properly, and it’s not very good for you. This is, of course, unless my amazing boyfriend-not-boyfriend surprises me with an “I’m sorry” dinner, or if it’s my birthday.”

  “Your birthday?” I ask. “What is the exception for your birthday, and when is it by the way?”

  “My birthday is May 1st, and the exception is that whether I’m in a restaurant, or someone’s home, my birthday dinner request is always the same: steak, twice baked potatoes, and asparagus. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and multi-colored sprinkles for dessert. Nothing else is acceptable,” she says with grin.

  “That sounds like a perfect birthday dinner. I’ll remember that, I promise.” Mental note #2 of the evening, locked in. “Okay, beautiful, now that you know dinner is cold and ready whenever you’d like it with the exception of the bread, would you like to eat now, or later?”

  “Let’s eat now. I don’t want any distractions later.” She looks up at me with a devilish grin, then pulls me down for a kiss.

  Morgan

  “Let’s just leave those dishes for now, no distractions.” Drake pulls me tight to his side and guides me into his living room. His house is so perfect for him. It’s a nice size, especially for the city, and he’s in a great up-and-coming neighborhood. The décor is a great mix of masculine with softer touches. His dark brown couches are leather, but very comfortable, and he has cream and light blue throw pillows, and blankets which make it soft but sophisticated.

  “Speaking of birthdays, when is yours, mister, and how old are you? I know you are a little older than me,” I ask as I curl into his side on the couch.

  “I’ll turn 26 June 14th,” he answers. “Just two years older. Do you want to see what’s on TV?”

  “No, I just want to snuggle with you and uh … maybe make out a little? No distractions, remember?”

  “Oh, Miss Lane, those sexy lips are very distracting.” Drake smiles as he leans forward and nibbles on my bottom lip. “Tasty too … it’s too late, Morgan, I’m already very distracted,” he says before consuming my mouth with his, hands plunging into my hair as he lowers my back down on his couch.

  *****

  I awake a few hours later as Drake sweeps me into his arms, gently kissing my temple.

  “Shhhh, I’m just taking you to my bed
, baby, you fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Mmmm … I need to brush my teeth … and pee,” I mumble, still half asleep. Drake goes to his bedroom and retrieves my toiletries from the overnight bag I brought. He softly knocks on the bathroom door as I flush.

  “I brought you your bathroom stuff, my love, is there anything else you need to get ready for bed?”

  “No, thanks. I’m sorry I slept through our evening,” I say shyly as I open the door. “You can come in if you need to, I’m just going to brush my teeth and wash my face then I’m crawling in bed with you.”

  Drake joins me in the bathroom. It feels comfortable catching his smile in the mirror as we brush our teeth.

  “I like getting ready for bed with you. This feels nice,” Drake says with a smile. “I really do picture myself with you for years to come. I can’t wait for the day when we get ready at night to crawl into our bed.”

  My eyes fill with tears. “I love how much you love me. We will have a place of our own one day, we just have to be patient. This was the first of many hard days to come, but think of how we get to end our day—in each other’s arms. Not all of our hard days will end this sweetly, but remember this moment. Remember how nice it feels, and use that to regain the focus on our end goal, which is to be together forever.”

  “Again you surprise me. The perspective you shine on just about everything is awe inspiring. You really have a brilliant mind, Morgan. Come crawl into bed with me, I only have a few hours left with you before we re-enter the corporate universe.”

  Drake extends his hand and I take it and let him guide me into his bedroom.

  Like I did Saturday morning, Drake crawls in bed before me, then pulls the covers back and pats the spot on the bed next to him, inviting me in. I go eagerly, wrapping my arms around him as I rest my head on his chest. We have both decided against pajamas tonight, and it feels amazing just laying together skin on skin. Drake moves and rotates me fully onto my back. He lowers himself over me and kisses that favorite spot of his, right above my collar bone at the base of my neck. I reach my arms around, gently stroking his back. Drake starts moving south, kissing his way down my chest, kissing each nipple softly before pulling it into his mouth, gently tugging on it, and driving me wild. He trails kisses down my belly and lets out a soft moan just before he spreads my legs wider around him, and dips his tongue between my folds.