I Can Explain

by Missy Johnson

  I open the door Alana stands there, holding up the lemon that I texted her to get for me.

  “This is a first,” she says with a smile. “I've never been asked to bring my own lemon on a date before.”

  “Because it never been on a real date with a man before,” I tease her. “I bet your wondering where I want to put that,” I add.

  She laughs and then sniffs the air.

  “Is something burning?” she asks, glancing around.

  “Just my dignity.”

  She looks at me curiously and walks inside, my gaze following her. She looks stunning as always, in a short black shirt and dusky pink lace top. I shut the door and walk back over to the kitchen.

  She leans against the counter and watches me as I prep the salmon.

  “Let’s see how much I can fuck this up,” I joke.

  “You’re not buckling under the pressure, are you?” she teases. She glances at the salmon and frowns. “I’m expecting something exceptional. You did build yourself up quite a bit,” she reminds me. I laugh and wipe my forehead. She’s right. I am feeling the pressure because I want tonight to go well.

  “And here I was thinking that you were the master at keeping calm.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. She’s enjoying this way too much.

  “So…would now be a good time to tell you I don't like salmon?” she asks. My head snaps up and I look at her in horror. She holds her hands up to her face. “I’m sorry, I was going to try and tough it out, but even the smell of it is making me want to hurl.”

  “It’s fine,” I say with a groan.

  I scoop up the fish and put it into a bag and back into the fridge and then wash my hands. I’m sure I’ll see the funny side of this in about a decade. She walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and kisses me.

  “I feel like I ruined your dinner for a second time,” she says. She frowns, but her eyes are sparkling. I kiss her on the nose and chuckle.

  “No, I managed that all on my own,” I respond dryly. “Okay, so now what?” I grumble.

  I fucked up on the potatoes and she doesn’t like salmon. Dinner isn’t looking all that great. She glances at the bowl of beans soaking on the counter. Her eyes meet mine and we both laugh.

  “I love beans,” she says brightly.

  After we finish yet another pizza—with a side serving of beans, I lean back in my chair, glad that part of the evening is over. All tonight has achieved so far is to give me a complex over cooking for her.

  “Who would’ve thought pizza and beans could be a thing?” she teases. I frown, pretty sure she’s making fun of me. “But seriously, thank you for going to so much trouble. And at least you can still redeem yourself and impress me with dessert,” she offers, her eyes twinkling.

  Dessert? Well, shit.

  Her eyes widen and then she laughs.

  “Chase, I’m disappointed in you. Given your reputation with women, you have to know that you can't ask a girl over for dinner and not supply dessert.”

  I reach over and grip hold of the legs of her chair, dragging her closer to me, then I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss it softly.

  “Maybe I have other things on my mind for dessert,” I mumble. “But first, can I tempt you with a glass of wine?” I ask.

  “Yes please,” she says.

  I stand up and walk over to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses I have ready for us. I pour the our drinks and then motion for her to join me.

  “Out there?” she says with a laugh, when I lead her towards the balcony. I chuckle and hand her wine to her.

  “When it's not six in the morning and you’re wearing clothes, it’s actually quite nice out here,” I say, opening the door.

  She follows me outside. I notice her eyes dart across to my neighbors balcony, and then she relaxes. She looks up and gazes out over the skyline.

  “I didn't notice those beautiful lights before,” she breathes.

  I nod. “It's pretty spectacular. To be honest, I didn’t notice them either, last time. The view right in front of me was much more beautiful.”

  She laughs and turns around to face me. I lean in and kiss her softly on the lips, then I take her wine and set both our drinks down on the ground. I sit down and gesture for her to join me.

  “In your lap?” she giggles.

  “Trust me, it’s romantic,” I reply.

  She sinks into my arms, chuckling as I wrap my arms around her waist. She tilts her head against me and closes her eyes, breathing in as she smiles.

  “I could stay out here all night,” she murmurs.

  “You almost did,” I remind her.

  She giggles. “Let’s see if you can get through one night without mentioning the balcony incident.”

  “That would involve you having to stay here with me, all night long,” I point out. She flushes. “Not that I’d complain about that.”

  She turns her head toward me and kisses me, pressing her lips hard onto mine. Then she gets onto her knees and repositions herself so she’s facing me. She stares into my eyes while I stroke her hair. I smile and kiss her again, my lips massaging against hers. My hand moves slowly over her back. I groan, loving the way her body reacts to me.

  She straddles me, her body rubbing against mine, making me hard as fuck. But she always has me hard. All she has to do is look at me and I’m gone. I run my finger around her face and down between her breasts, until I reach the first button on her shirt. I undo it, not dragging my eyes away from hers. I take my time undoing all of them, until her shirt just hangs open flapping gently in the wind. I curve my arm around her waist and thrust her towards me, my fingers exploring her back.

  She kisses me wrapping her arms around my neck. I stand up and so does she. I lift her into my arms and turn her around, leaning her against the wall. She groans as I kiss her, my lips slowly moving their way down her neck. I reach for her breasts and thrust her bra down to reveal her nipples, then I close my mouth around them. I suck, curling my tongue around them until they’re hard. Still kissing her, I walk around to the other side of the balcony, to the door that leads into my bedroom. I yank it open and walk inside, throwing her down on the bed. I climb on top of her, my hands roaming over her body as I kiss her neck. With one hand, I attempt to unbutton my shirt. I eventually manage it and shrug it off.

  I strip off my pants and my boxers, then kneel against the edge of the bed and drag her toward me. She leans back on her hands, lifting her ass off the bed as I gently roll her skirt down over her thighs. She watches me as I part her legs and slide her closer to me, then I run my tongue over the outside of her panties.

  She gasps, arching her back as she falls back onto the bed, her hands clutching at the sheets beneath her. With a growl, I reach into my bedside table and snatch up a condom, then position myself over her.

  I break the packet open and roll it onto my length. With one hand on my cock, I drive myself inside her. She groans, her body jolting up the bed against my thrusts. I wrap my arm around her neck to keep her steady, kissing her as I enter her.

  “Harder,” she gasps, pressing her mouth against mine. I grunt as I drive my cock into her, each thrust with more intensity than the last.

  I fling her leg over my shoulder to give me deeper range. She cries out, reaching above her head to clutch onto the bed post. My hands move all over her body and so does my tongue. I can't get enough of her.

  “Fuck,” I groan, my cock throbbing as I release, shooting hard inside her.

  “Oh, Oh, God,” she gasps.

  Her mouth falls open as she tilts her head back. She grabs hold of my hand, squeezing it as she comes. She whimpers, her body tensing as her legs tighten around my neck.

  Pulling out, I collapse next to her on the bed, chuckling softly.

  She turns to me and half heartedly raises her eyebrows.

  I shrug. “That's what I call dessert,” I grin. She chuckles and then rolls onto her side to study me. “You certainly satisfy my sweet toot
h,” I add, tilting her mouth up to mine.

  She laughs, her lips spreading in a smile as she rolls her eyes and pretends that comment didn’t make her heart flutter. She reaches for my hand, entwining his fingers in mine.

  “Can I ask you something?” she says, her gaze dropping to her fingers as they crawl along my side.

  “Sure,” I say. My nerves kick into gear because her tone is terrifying me.

  She takes a deep breath and then lifts her eyes to meet mine. I tense, sensing the seriousness of what she wants to ask me.

  “When’s your birthday?” she whispers.

  I stare at her, shocked. “Pardon?”

  She smiles. “I don’t know when your birthday is. Or what your favorite TV show is. I don’t even know what your favorite food is.” She releases a deep sigh. “Or whether you’re allergic to dogs.”

  “Allergic to dogs?” I chuckle. “Do you have any idea how nervous I was at what you were going to ask me?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know, the way I look at it, they’re the kind of things that differentiate something casual from…” Her voice trails off as her face goes red.

  I chuckle. “From what?” I prompt her, kissing her lips. She swats me away when I try to tickle her.

  “Look, I'm not trying to label this as anything, because it is what it is, but if I’m honest? I hope that this is more than just a casual hook up.”

  “Well I’m not here for a cheap thrill, if that’s what you’re getting at,” I assure her.

  I roll her over onto me and kiss her again. She smiles at me as I stroke her hair. Hearing that she’s open to this going thing somewhere actually makes me feel pretty good. I still don’t know what this is, but I do know that I like being with her. That’s a good start, right?

  “Okay,” I say as she straddles me. “We’re going to play a game. You’re going to ask me questions and when I answer, I’m going to kiss you.”

  She laughs. “That doesn’t sound like much of a game. How do I win? And what do I get when I win?”

  I pull her arms so she’s lying on top of me and kiss her slowly.

  “You get me,” I tell her.

  She laughs. “Okay. Birthday?”

  “February nineteenth,” I say. I kiss her softly on the mouth, rolling my tongue around hers. She smiles, then narrows her eyes.

  “How old were you when you lost your virginity?” she asks.

  I have to think about that one. “Fifteen I think.”

  “You think?” she giggles.

  “It was a long time ago,” I defend myself. Then I kiss her again. I’m enjoying this game. “When do I get to ask the questions?” I ask. “This doesn’t seem very fair. You’re learning all about me and I still know nothing about you.”

  She sighs. “Fine. We will alternate.”

  We spend the few hours just laying on my bed, talking about everything and nothing. I can add to the list of things I know about Alana that she hates basketball, and that she loves swimming, Vietnamese food and every pretty much every clichéd chick flick where the girl gets the guy in the end.

  “But what about action?” I ask her. She frowns at me. “Die Hard? Die Harder? Under Siege? Universal Soldier?” I say.

  She narrows her eyes at me. “Are you making these up?”

  I chuckle. I’m going to have to do some serious educating of her pop history knowledge.

  I’m not even game enough to ask her if she’s heard of Star Wars.

  Before I know it, our evening is over and I’m walking her to the door. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. I grin, loving the feel of her lips on mine. She looks into my eyes and something sparks inside me.

  “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she says. She takes my hand and entwines her fingers in mine, then lifts her gaze to meet mine again. “You’re full of surprises, Chase Winston. I like it. Keep them coming.”

  We kiss again, then I watch as she disappears around the corner. I smile as I close the door. It was an exceptional night. I wander back down to the living room and pick up my phone, which I find on the floor under the kitchen table. I catch sight of an unread message, so I open it.

  Josh: Second suit fitting this weekend sometime? Let me know when suits. (See? Still got the humor).

  I smile in spite of myself, but my amusement quickly dissipates when I remember what it’s for and who I’ve told my brother my plus one will be. I’m not sure how to handle this. I want to come right out and tell her that we’ve been invited to my brother’s wedding, but delving into the truth feels like a whole lot of baggage she might not be ready for. The last thing I want to do is scare her off.

  But the other side of this is that I’ve told Josh she’s coming to the wedding so I can’t turn up without her. As stupid as it sounds, I need to show both of him and Casey that I’ve moved on. I want them to be in awe of me, not pity me.

  I’ll just see how things go. There’s no point in telling her when I don’t even know what this is. She’s still my assistant. Taking her away for a function isn’t beyond reasonable.

  At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

  Chapter Eleven

  Alana

  Chase: Wear that white shirt of yours that’s a little bit see through. Even though I can’t touch, I like to look.

  I roll over, unable to wipe the smile off my face. It’s been a permanent fixture for the last two weeks, pretty much from when the Chase and me thing started happening. It feels like we’ve been seeing each other for so much longer than that. I have to pinch myself just so I know I’m not dreaming. I’m sure I’m going to wake up and realize the only real thing was me arriving on his balcony.

  I don’t know how, but we’ve managed to keep things mostly professional while we’re at work for an entire week. I’m impressed that he’s been so good at respecting what I want—with one or two slip ups along the way.

  It’s Tuesday morning and after spending the night at Chase’s, I arrive to work early. I walk inside and over to the elevators, getting there at the exact same time that Peyton does. She smiles at me and then glances away. I shift on my feet as I wait for the doors to open. It takes forever, leaving us in the middle of an awkward silence that neither of us seems to know how to fill.

  “I miss you,” she finally says, frowning at me.

  “I miss you too,” I whisper.

  My heart races, because I’ve been dying to tell her about Chase, but I just didn’t feel like I could go to her like I used to. The old me would’ve been on the phone to her the moment I left his house, but the reality is, we haven’t spoken properly in weeks.

  “You moved on with my replacement.” I say the word like it's dirty. She laughs and shakes her head.

  “What? Are you kidding me? No way, Lanna! I mean she's nice and all that, but she's no you,” she says, a dopey grin on her face.

  “Then why do you stop talking every time I walk into the room?” I ask, frowning.

  “That's not me, it's her,” Peyton exclaims. “Think about it from her perspective. She's new here, and you’re her boss. I think she's just afraid that you’re going to yell at her or something. I just shut up out of politeness.”

  I frown. I guess that kind of makes sense.

  “Come here,” Peyton says, throwing her arms around me. I hug my friend, glad to have her back. “How about we catch up?”

  “Shopping after work tomorrow?” I suggest with a smile. I know she won’t say no to that and it’s something we used to do a lot. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

  Peyton's eyes widen “And unless the news is you’re boning Chase, I don’t want to hear it.” Her eyes widen. “Why are you blushing? Alana?” She gasps and throws her arms around me.

  “Shh,” I say, laughing. “I’ll tell you everything, but not now.”

  “Then when?” she demands.

  “Tomorrow?” I suggest. “Shopping, like we used to?”

  She squeals and nods. “You’re on.”

  Chase ca
lls me into the office the moment I sit down at my desk. I glance down at my shirt and smirk, then undo the top button. Just because I want to keep things professional doesn’t mean I don’t like teasing him. I knock gently on his door before walking in. He looks up, smiling when he sees it’s me.

  “You got my message, I see,” he mutters approvingly.

  I walk over to him, until I’m close enough to see that he’s hard. I shiver, wanting nothing more than to climb onto his lap and ride him.

  “I did,” I say. “To be honest, I never even realized it was that transparent. I’ll never wear this in front of my father again.” Chase groans and covers his face with his hands. I laugh. “What?”

  “Thank you for curing my erection,” he growls. I laugh again.

  “Sorry. So, did you just want to see me in this shirt, or…?” I tease him.

  “I’d prefer to see it off you, given the choice, but for your information, I have a perfectly valid reason for bringing you in here,” he murmurs. “We’re going away for the weekend. I have an important function that I need you to attend with me.”

  “Really?” I say, trying to remain calm. I love the idea of spending a few days away with him. “What function is it?”

  “Just…a function.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him. “That’s all I get?”

  “You need more than that?” he says with a grin. “Come over here, and I’ll give you a lot more.”

  “More information, thank you,” I say with a smirk. “Such as where we’re going and how we’re getting there. What I need to pack? Do I need something dressy? Or is it more corporate? You know, details,” I tease.

  “Right, sorry,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

  I study him closely. Is it just me, or is he acting weird?

  “The function is black tie, so something dressy. We will be leaving late Friday afternoon. And it’s in Florida, so we’ll be flying over there. There will be separate rooms, of course, at the hotel.” He pauses and raises his eyebrows. “If you want separate rooms, that is.”