by Marie Skye
“You shouldn’t do that. It’s… distracting.” He pressed into me. I could feel his erection and I tried to restrain myself from grinding into him.
I failed.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I whispered unconvincingly.
“Maybe that’s exactly what you need.” He lifted my leg to anchor around his waist. “In fact, I know that’s exactly what you need, if memory serves me correctly.”
His hand trailed up my skirt, and he teased the line where my panties met my skin. I found myself trying to get his hand to touch that most sensitive spot that I knew would send me right over the edge. His fingertips grazed ever so lightly over my cotton panties.
Shamelessly, I let out a small cry of pleasure, as he moved my panties to the side and began circling my clit with the pad of his thumb. Agonizingly slow.
“Hmm. Already wet. I would even say soaked. Wouldn’t you agree?” He inserted a finger while continuing his slow torture. I closed my eyes and threw my head back in a moan.
“Eyes!” he growled. I gasped as he applied more pressure and slipped in a second finger. “I believe earlier I said you needed another reminder.”
“Grayson.” I was panting. So close.
“Shhhh. I got you. I can feel how tight your cunt is clenching. Wanting to come so bad.”
“Yes,” I cried.
“Come for me, Emmalin.” And with that, I let go. He silenced my screams by kissing me, consuming me until I came down. When I finally caught my breath, he lowered my leg and pulled down my skirt.
He slipped his two fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean.
“Mm, just how I remembered.” He started to turn to walk away, then stopped, pulling me to him.
“Oh, and Emmalin?”
“Yeah,” I answered, shakily.
“I believe that was me telling you what to do.” He smirked before heading to his desk.
The rest of the morning was spent in and out of meetings and doing paperwork. So much paperwork. The joys of being CEO. Emmalin was in and out of the office. After our little ‘performance’ at the door, I hadn’t had a chance to see much of her. Checking my watch, I noticed it was getting close to lunch time. I also saw that I had a luncheon meeting with Dale Ferguson, about a buyout. I hated him. We had history.
Emmalin walked in smiling.
“How’s your day going?” she asked, sitting in the chair in front of my desk.
I ran my hand through my hair. “Busy as usual, but nothing I can’t handle.”
She nodded. “I have the documents ready for your lunch meeting. I didn’t realize how big of a buyout this would be.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s something we’ve been working on for a while, weighing the pros and cons. They’ve had a lot of setbacks, but it’s a pretty reputable company, and with Mandrake stamped on it, it could be a rather profitable prospect.”
She nodded. “Am I needed for this meeting? I had some errands I wanted to run during my lunch.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like where?”
“Well, I need to stop by the pharmacy as well as pay my electrical bill. I would like to have heat tonight.” She let out an awkward laugh.
I nodded. “Of course. Alistair will take you.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.” She stood up.
“And yet it is. He’ll be happy to drive you around.”
She sighed. “Grayson.”
I stood up, walked around the desk, and pulled her up from the chair and to me. “Yes?” I nuzzled into her neck.
She sighed again. “I don’t want to argue about this.”
I reached up and cupped her breast. “I’m not arguing. You are. You have this desire to go against anything I say, but this would be so much easier if you just did what I said anyways.”
She moaned.
“But if you want to argue, we can, since it turns me on.” I ground my hardness into her, and she giggled.
My intercom buzzed.
“Mr. Mandrake?”
“Yes, Glenda.” I continued kissing down Emmalin’s neck.
“Mr. Ferguson has arrived. Would you like me to send him in?”
After one last kiss, I pulled away.
“Yes, send Dale in, please.” I gave a pointed look at Emmalin. “Alistair will be in the lobby waiting for you.” She went to her desk to grab her bag, and Dale walked in.
“Mandrake, thanks for meeting with my colleague and I.” He reached and shook my hand.
“Of course. This is my assistant, Emmalin Ross. She’ll be joining our financial team.” I gestured toward Emmalin, and she walked up, stood by my side, and extended her hand.
Two things happened.
Dale, the little maggot that he was, had the audacity to lick his lips before extending his hand, while practically eye fucking her. Then he held her hand a lot longer than a typical handshake.
He turned to his colleague.
“Molto bello non dire?” Very beautiful, wouldn’t you say?
“Assolutamente, mi chiedo come personale che riesce a trovare.” Absolutely, I wonder how personal she can get.
I clenched my fists.
“Questo è molto appropriato non credi? Da quanto ho capito l'azienda in un po' di un bind. Sarebbe un peccato per aggiungere una molestia sessuale muta su di essi,” I said through gritted teeth. That's very inappropriate don't you think? From what I understand, your business is in a bit of a bind. It would be a shame to add a sexual harassment suit on top of that.
The two men straightened. “Joke. A poor joke.”
"Very. Just for the record, the only language spoken in my office will be English. Is that understood, or will this be a problem, gentlemen?” I glared at both men.
“Of course, our pardon.”
I gave them both pointed looks before turning toward Emmalin. “I’ll see you in an hour. Again, Alistair is in the lobby.” I placed my hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the door. She gave me a questioning look before entering the elevators.
Before heading back to my office, I looked at Glenda.
“Call Franklin. I need him here in half an hour.” I stormed into my office and slammed the door.
Forty-five minutes later, I was determined to kick Franklin’s ass. Other than fucking someone’s brains out, which wasn’t going to happen at the moment, my only other option was to hit the mat to relieve this aggression. My mind kept drifting to Emmalin. As much as I wanted to get at her, I knew I couldn’t. The only other willing participant I knew of was Ashley, and that shit was not going to happen.
Over an hour later, I was on my back trying to catch my breath after issuing several roundhouse kicks to Franklin. He dodged all but one, causing him to lose his balance, and I was able to pin him.
“Shit, man. You weren’t playing today.”
Looking over at Franklin, who was on his knees, head down, trying to breathe, I shook my head. “Not today, I wasn’t.” I was drenched in sweat and needed a shower. “Thanks for coming in.”
“Of course, anytime you wanna spar, I’m there,” he said before getting up to leave.
I took the elevator past my office to my apartment above it and took a quick shower and changed. I was still pissed about the meeting, but upon walking into my office and seeing Emmalin at her desk, I felt calmer.
“Hey!” she said, looking me up and down.
“Hey, you.” I headed over to my desk.
She frowned. “Your hair is wet.”
“Yeah, I did some Krav Maga and then took a shower.”
She nodded. “So, the strangest thing happened while I was out.”
“Oh yeah?” I regarded her carefully. I already knew where this was going.
“Yeah. I went to the utility company to pay my bill, and the nice young gentleman assisting me told me the strangest thing. My bill had already been paid. In full. And I, in fact, have an astronomical credit on my account.” I held her gaze. “It was confusing, to say the least. Don’t you think, Grayson?” I
began to speak, but she interrupted me. “But what was even stranger was that they told me my services were restored Friday night.” Neither of us said anything; we just sat there looking at each other.
“Grayson?”
I ran my hand through my damp hair. “It’s not a big deal, Emmalin.”
She strolled over to my desk. “Well, it’s a big deal to me. I didn’t… This is exactly why—”
“Emmalin, stop.” I pulled her into my lap. "I wanted to help. I was happy to. In fact, if anything, I should be mad at you for not telling me sooner.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. "And I know, you don't need a hero, but sometimes, they just show up."
She leaned in to me, burying her head in the crook of my neck. “I’m paying you back.”
I rolled my eyes. "Do you have to work tonight?” She nodded, and I sighed. "When do I get to spend more time with you?"
She tried sitting up, but I pulled her back to me. "Well, I'm not back here until Thursday.”
I raised her up. "You're making me wait until Thursday?”
She put her hand over my mouth. "Let me finish. I'm not back here until Thursday, but I would like to see you as much as I can until our weekend."
I smiled when she said “our weekend."
"Good, and I don't want you taking the subway to go anywhere. I've assigned you a driver."
"Wait. What?"
"His name is Lukas. I've already programmed his number into your new phone.” I reached into my drawer and pulled out a cell phone. "Don't worry, it's still the same number. It's just more updated. I was tired of seeing that huge crack down the middle of yours.”
She glanced at the phone. "Wow. Next thing I know, I'll come home to an empty apartment and find out you moved all my stuff into yours."
I laughed. "Don't be silly. I would hire people to do that.”
She rolled her eyes. "Don't."
"It's not a bad idea, though."
She jumped off my lap. "I need to finish these reports. Some of us actually work around here."
"So you don't find it weird?” I poured Isabella another cup of tea, and sat with her since it was nearing the end of my shift at Tea Lites.
“Absolutely not. He likes you, in case you haven't noticed."
I sighed.
"Do you not like him? I mean, his ass alone should be worshiped.” She took a sip of her tea.
"I do like him, more than I should, but…" I trailed off. "I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship or whatever this is right now. He practically asked me to move in with him. Well, he did ask me to move in with him. You don't find that to be a red flag?"
"I don't know. He seems protective or something.” She looked at me thoughtfully. "I suppose it's weird."
"You 'suppose' it's weird that a person I've known for two weeks wants me to move in with him?"
She set her cup down. "It's weird, but not the craziest thing I've heard. He likes you and seems to genuinely care about you. Do you like him?"
I smiled. "I do. But at the same time, I feel like I shouldn't, so I try not to let myself. I feel like there's someone better for him, like maybe I'm just a phase or something."
“Why would you ever think that?" Startled by that deep voice, my gaze jerked up to find Grayson practically standing next to me.
Shit.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Before he could answer, I kept talking. "Grayson, have you met my friend Isabella? Isabella, this is Grayson."
He glanced at me, jaw tight, before extending his hand. "Yeah, I think we met briefly, at Chace's place, right?"
She smiled. "Yes, how've you been? I keep meaning to check out one of your hotels. I hear the spas are to die for, but they're always booked.” She gave him a fake pout.
"Yes, they are wonderful. Here's my card. Ask for Nina. On the house, of course.”
"Well, a girl can't turn down a free massage, now can she?" She took the card and grabbed her coat. "I do have to go. It's getting late. Emmalin, I'll talk to you soon?”
I nodded. Grayson still hadn't looked at me. I turned to say something, but Caleb took that opportunity to grace us with his presence.
"Hey, Emms. Sorry, it's been crazy, so I haven't had a chance to talk with you much.” He glanced at Grayson. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"
Before I could answer, Grayson did. "Yes.”
I scowled up at him, and Caleb looked between both of us.
"Ooo-kay. Well, real quick, I have the tickets for Saturday. I'm looking forward to our date. We'll talk more about it later this week, okay?”
Caleb leaned in for a hug, but it was short-lived since Grayson put his arm around my waist and pulled me back. His eyes said he was out for blood.
"Bye, Caleb.”
Although I dreaded looking at Grayson, I turned to him. His jaw was tight and his narrowed eyes were staring at Caleb’s back. I touched his shoulder, and he relaxed and briefly shook his head.
“Are you about done here?” He still wasn’t looking at me.
“Um, yeah. I just need to get my stuff.”
He nodded. “I’ll be outside.” He turned and left.
A few minutes later, I tentatively stepped outside. At first, I didn’t see him. He was against the building, back toward me, with one arm on the brick wall, his head down. He almost looked wounded.
A part of me said I should leave. If ever I was looking for a way out, this would be it. I shut that part down. I liked this man. I cared for this man. Slowly, I walked over and placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned around so swiftly with hands up, I jumped and almost fell back. His eyes were filled with anger, but upon seeing me, they immediately softened.
“Emmalin. God, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” He looked scared. I shook my head, and that’s when I saw it. His hand—cut, bruised, and bloody.
“Oh my God, Grayson!” I took my scarf off and tried wrapping it around his hand, but he shooed me away.
“It’s fine.”
“Fine? No, it’s not fine. You’re hurt! What the hell happened?” He tried shooing me away again, but I wasn’t having it. “Will you stop fighting me and just let me do this?” I started to wrap his hand, but changed my mind. “You need ice.” I turned to go back into the building.
“Don’t go.” His eyes were pleading with me, so I took a deep breath, held up a finger, and searched for the cleanest pile of snow I could find within a one-foot radius on the sidewalk of Chicago. I wrapped the snow into the scarf and tied it into a knot. Using his uninjured hand, he ran it tenderly down my cheek. I shut my eyes at the warmth.
After a few moments, he finally spoke. “We need to talk.”
I nodded and followed him to his car and was greeted by Alistair.
“Good evening, Ms. Ross.”
“Good evening.”
We got into the back of the car. It was quiet, neither of us saying anything. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to a brownstone.
He was quiet entering the house and headed over to the built-in bar and made himself a drink. “Would you like anything?” I shook my head, looking around the space. “Are you hungry?” I shook my head again, going over to the dark-brown leather couch and taking a seat.
He finally came over to sit beside me, unwrapping the scarf and flexing his hand.
“What happened to your hand, Grayson?” I quietly asked.
“Why do you think you’re just a phase?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I just…” I took a deep breath to collect my thoughts. “You’re Grayson Mandrake. One of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors. You’re the CEO of your company, which means your resume is impeccable. You can have any pick of any long-legged, hot model out there. I’m nowhere near your league. I’m ordinary. I’m just ordinary. I’m not spectacular by any means. I’m just… maybe I’m just your charity case.”
“Stop!” His voice boomed. “You’re done talking like that. I don’t ever want to hear you talk about yourself like that. You are the most amazing person I’ve e
ver met. No one compares to you. How can I get you to understand that? Stop fighting me. Stop pushing me away, because I’m not going anywhere. Do you hear me?”
I tried blinking back the tears, but they came rushing out.
“Talk to me, Emmalin.” He wiped the tears streaming down my face. I tried looking away, but he cupped my chin, so I had to look at him. “Baby, talk to me.”
I looked down and sniffed. “I’ve never really had anyone to stand up for me. I can count how many people I could truly depend on in my entire life. You’re the second. So I do that. I push people away because I know it always ends with pain, and I can’t take the pain anymore. I can’t deal with it anymore. But you… somehow you see right through me, and that scares me.”
He put his forehead against mine. “Just let me in, okay?”
I nodded, wiping my eyes. He handed me some tissues and pulled me into his arms.
We sat there for a few moments. I finally spoke. “What happened to your hand?”
He shifted a bit. “Did I hear that guy mention he had a date with you on Saturday?”
I groaned.
“Oh yeah, I caught that,” he grumbled.
I sighed. “It was before—” I pointed between us “—this.”
“Do you like him?”
“No! I thought I could try to like him, but he’s just a friend.”
“Are you trying to like me?” The hurt in his eyes was visible.
I grabbed his hand. “I was trying not to like you, but that wasn’t working too well for me.”
He smiled, and said, “You’re not going.”
I scowled. “Grayson, I can’t just cancel on him. He’s been talking about this for weeks.”
“I don’t care. You aren’t going on a date with some other guy. Besides, your weekends are with me.”
“Grayson, you’re being unreasonable.”
“Unreasonable? Not wanting the girl I’m with to go on a date with another guy is not being unreasonable. I told you, I will not share you!” His voice was rising.
“And I told you not to tell me what to do!” I yelled back.
His eyes went dark, and his hand slid up my thigh. “I believe earlier we concluded that I do, in fact, tell you what to do. Do you need reminding?”