A Mess of a Man

by A. M. Hargrove

  Once my butt clears his desk, impatient hands unzip my skirt and tug it free from my body, depositing it, along with my thong, on the floor. Then he stands and stares at my naked-below-the-waist self as I sit on his desk.

  “Hmm. What a sight for my overworked eyes you are. And a lovely addition to my desk, I might add.”

  “Glad you approve.” I don’t get time to say anything else because his mouth is on my pussy like it’s his next meal. Two hands spread my thighs as his tongue wreak havoc with my control, and he watches as I completely fall to pieces, like a computer that just short circuited. By the time my orgasmic spasms have stopped rocking my world, I notice my hands have left his hair a wreck.

  “Sorry about that.” I try to smooth the short strands into place.

  “I’m not. Not one bit. You were spectacular,” he says, his voice husky.

  “A nice sexcapade then?”

  He chuckles. Then he finds his wallet and out comes a condom. “And I’m saving the best for last.” He unzips his pants and drops them to showcase his boxers, which contain an impressive hard on, barely held in restraint by the thin fabric. I watch as he tugs them down and the prize springs free. He takes it in his hand and squeezes it, rubbing it in an up and down motion. Oh my God, is it ever sexy. I want to watch this man get himself off in the worst way.

  He reads my mind. “Do you like what you see?”

  I can barely breathe as I nod.

  “Say it, Sam.”

  “Yes,” I hiss.

  “No, say it. Tell me what you’d like.”

  “I’d like to see you jack off.”

  “Maybe someday. But not tonight. Tonight you came here because you wanted me inside of you. Deep. And now that you’re here I want to feel your tight pussy around my hard cock, squeezing it dry.”

  Oh, hell. I’m almost coming again, and he’s not even inside me yet.

  His hand still strokes his gorgeous cock, and then he rolls the condom on. With hands on my thighs, he yanks me to the edge of the desk and in one swift motion, enters me. Then he stills. A palm lands in the center of my chest and pushes me back. He bends one leg so my thigh about touches my chest and drapes the other leg over his shoulder. Honest to God, one thrust in this position and he hits every spot that rings my buzzers. I come almost immediately. About three or four pounding thrusts later, I scream his name, but he doesn’t stop. He keeps going as if he never heard me. And it builds again until I hit climax number three. That’s when I feel his body tense, he stands up straight and slides his hands under my ass and comes. And, Jesus on a picnic, I’ve never seen anything so arousing in my life. It dawns on me then that we both still have our shirts on, but that was one sizzling romp on the desk, if I do say so myself.

  When he looks at me, I’m expecting that sexy-as-hell grin, but instead, I get confused by an ambivalent look. He drops his head back and runs his hands through his hair. I’m not sure what’s going through his mind, but it can’t be good. And since I’ve never done the fuck buddy thing before him, I’m not quite sure what to say. So I opt for something fairly comical.

  “Hmm… the many uses of a desktop. Workstation, computer space, and hotspot for sexromp.”

  I’m greeted with silence. Now I feel beyond awkward. I’m sitting on his desk and his dick is still inside of me, and he hasn’t said a word. What the actual fuck is going on here?

  “Earth to Ben?”

  He finally looks at me after closing his eyes for a long second then blinking down at me.

  “Yeah?”

  “You okay there?” I ask.

  “Fine.” His voice sounds clipped.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, okay, then. Would you be interested in grabbing dinner?”

  “No, like I said before, I have work to finish. I’m sorry, but it’s been a terrible week.”

  Maybe it is his work. But he’s whiplash Ben again. Or asshole Ben. And I’m too inexperienced to know how to deal with this.

  He stands and slips out of me, removes the condom, and ties off the end. I wonder what he’s going to do with it when I watch him toss it in his trashcan. In another nonchalant move, he bends down and pulls up his pants, tucks in his shirt and I’m left sitting on his desk bared assed.

  I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “Okay. What’s the deal here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re acting strange. That’s what I mean.”

  “Sam, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to connect with you. Work is crazy like that, which is one reason I don’t do the relationship thing. You came, you wanted to fuck. I made time and did that. This is what fuck buddies do; they don’t expect more.”

  Why do I just feel like he slapped me in the face?

  “Okay. But you’re Mr. Hyde. A few minutes ago you were Dr. Jekyll. Why the change? Why are you acting so different? We were fuck buddies the other night and you didn’t act cold like this.”

  His hand is in his hair again.

  “I don’t know what you want from me. But this is the real Ben Rhoades. As you can see, there are many facets to me. And this is what I have to offer. If it’s not what you want …” He shrugs.

  His blunt words sting so I keep my mouth shut, despite the dozen not-so-nice replies I’d like to throw at him. Instead, I hop off the desk and put my thong on and then my skirt as quickly as I can and with a, “See you around,” I do a fast walk of shame out of there.

  What a douche. I’m not sure what happened after the explosive orgasm, but something surely did. And whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I don’t know if I want to scream in anger or cry my eyes out. Or maybe both. The damn elevator takes its time getting to the floor as I pound the call button with my fist. When the doors open, I fly through them like I have a firecracker up my ass. And I think I do. His name is Ben Rhoades, resident asshole.

  By the time I get to my car, I’m sure my blood is as hot as the surface of the sun. Slow it down, girl. You’re going to crash the damn car.

  As I stomp through my front door, I come to one resounding conclusion. This fuck buddy thing was the biggest mistake of my life. What the hell was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn’t. Why can’t I be like other girls and choose men who treat them right? And not total twatheads who fuck me over every single time. I am so done with this crap. So done.

  Lauren is watching TV and she hollers out to me, so I pop my head in the room. “You do not want to be around me tonight.” And I burst into tears. What in the wide world of fucks is wrong with me? I barely ever cry. Since Ben Rhoades, Produce Asshole From Hell entered my life, it seems that’s all I ever do. That and curse like a sailor.

  “Oh my God, now what?” She immediately rushes to my side.

  When I tell her, she just hugs me. In her true fashion, I don’t get the old, I told you so. And that’s what I love best about Lauren.

  “Everyone has to go through the worst things to enjoy the best. You’ll get your knight in shining armor one day. I swear you will.”

  That night I dream of my knight, only he has messy dark hair and compelling gray eyes, with a body that drives me to the point of orgasm. I wake up with the sheets all rumpled and my hand in my panties, bringing me to a climax. Damn that Ben Fucking Rhoades.

  The next day, my brain is all over the place and I’m supposed to be bringing Nick up to speed on all the current projects we have taking place. Poor guy. I’m sure at various points during the day, he’s asked himself why he agreed to come to work for me.

  “Sam, are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m fine. I promise I’m not always like this.”

  “It’s okay. You do seem a little off.”

  “Yeah, that’s an understatement,” I murmur.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks sweetly.

  Oh hell to the no on that. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. What I do want is to review everything I have set up to propose to Martin Rhoades at Rhoades Investment Team
. He wants to do a corporate outing for the employees and their significant others and he’s offered me the job if I can come up with something that piques his interest. So let me brief you on what I have.”

  I review the golf and spa options, down to the smallest detail.

  Nick looks up and asks, “What do you think he’ll go for?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know him that well and haven’t ever worked with the company before.”

  “When do you present this?”

  “On Monday, but I want you there. Take this home over the weekend so you can be familiar with it. Know the ins and outs so if he directs a question to you, you feel comfortable answering. You good with this?” I ask.

  “Yes. Absolutely.”

  I hand him the folder with all the information. The real reason I want him there is as my shield. Maybe I’m not being fair to him, but I don’t want to take the chance of running into Ben and being alone. Ben is my Achilles heel. If I have Nick with me, I’ll have to act strong and pretend Ben’s only a business acquaintance or possibly a friend and nothing more. Best case scenario would be if I didn’t run into him at all, but the chances of that are next to none.

  By the time Monday afternoon hits, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Nick and I head over to Rhoades Investment Team. When we walk into the meeting, Martin is there, along with his admin.

  “Samantha, it’s nice to see you again. You remember Trudy?”

  “I do. Good to see you two again. This is Nick, my newest team member. He’s going to be my right hand on this event so I thought he should be here.”

  After all pleasantries are exchanged, we take our seats. I go over the details of what I’ve planned.

  “This is some elaborate corporate picnic you’ve planned, Samantha.”

  My pulse has ramped up to a couple hundred beats a minute. Maybe I’ve overdone this.

  “It is, Martin. But if I were a betting woman, I would imagine that not all the women here, or the significant others of the men, golf. Would that be an accurate statement?”

  Martin chuckles. “Yeah, pretty accurate.”

  “So why not offer them an option?”

  “Honestly? The reason I haven’t before is because the previous event planners I used never brought it up.”

  “Then may I say you were using inferior event planners?” I chuckle to lighten my statement, but he knows I mean business.

  “So, golf, spa, evening party, and overnight?”

  I remind him of the price points. “It’s just an option, but with the pricing, the overnight is almost a steal since they throw in so much more as an added bonus.”

  In the end, after he plays with the figures, over and over, he decides on the overnight option.

  “Don’t forget, not everyone will attend. Always expect at least ten to twenty percent to say no. So, I have the sign up sheets here and I can send you an email template you can use. If you want to go with this plan, you can shoot this out to every employee and tell them I need an answer by Friday at the very latest, preferably by Wednesday.”

  “Now I understand why you came so highly recommended. And even on short notice, your plan is well thought out. Everything looks great. Where do I sign?”

  I can see where Ben gets his charm as Martin’s smile is dazzling. His admin hangs on his every word.

  I tap on my phone. “I’ve forwarded you the email template.”

  Martin turns to Trudy and says, “Good, when we get it, make Wednesday their deadline. Shoot that out ASAP.”

  “Got it, boss.”

  “Once you have the list of attendees, I’ll need the names for each of the rooms.”

  Trudy chimes in. “I can do that.”

  “And the last thing I’ll need is the number of people for golf and the number for the spa.”

  We finish up our details, setting up another phone conference for Thursday. Nick and I get up to leave, and Martin walks us into the hall and asks us to wait for Trudy to make copies of the contract. As we stand there, my luck runs out and Ben walks in.

  “Sam?”

  He glances between Nick and me only to flash back to me with a penetrating stare that makes me feel guilty when I shouldn’t.

  “Are you here to see me?” Even his eyebrows are sexy as one lifts with his question.

  “I’m handling the corporate picnic, remember? I just had a meeting with your dad.”

  “Oh, is that all?” He snaps the question out like I’m there to steal from them or something.

  “Of course. Why else would I be here?”

  “I think we both know the answer to that.”

  Flames whip across my cheeks, scorching them. How dare he bring something up like that during a business visit?

  I notice how his eyes keep flicking over at Nick, and it doesn’t help matters any when Nick puts his arm around me and says, “Sam and I have been working quite hard on this event for your firm here. By the way, I’m Nick Hathaway.” Nick extends his hand and at first Ben acts like he’s not going to shake it. What a jerkhead. Finally, he grabs Nick’s hand. Now it looks like they’re hand wrestling.

  “Here you go, Sam.” Martin’s voice breaks through the showdown taking place and I’ve never been so happy to see someone before.

  “Thank you, Martin.”

  “No, thank you. Ben, you should see what she has planned for us.”

  Ben is still glaring at Nick. “I’m sure it’s simply amazing.” That tiny muscle in his jaw is twitching.

  “Oh, it is, son. The best corporate event we’ve ever had.”

  “What’s planned?” His dry tone tells me he couldn’t give a shit about it. Well, fuck him and his twatfaced attitude.

  Annoyed, I cover my frustration with a strained smile and run down the details. I watch as Ben keeps giving his father looks. Finally when I finish he speaks.

  “Do you think we should really be spending this kind of money on an event with everything going on?”

  Martin’s jaw tightens. “And what would you suggest if you were in charge?”

  There is obvious tension and I feel like I should walk away gracefully, but I don’t know if the event will change.

  “Maybe we should host a client appreciation day as a part of the event. Show good will to all the clients and give a presentation about our practices and how we screen for the right investments. And then have an employee-only picnic on the other day.”

  Martin looks as surprised as I am. “That actually sounds good. It will be easy to add them in. I just need a head count. But I want to stick to the original plan we set up for the employee picnic. Can you put a plan together and tell me how this will affect our budget?” Martin asks.

  “I’d like to suggest something. In order to capitalize on your time at the hotel and save money, bring your clients in for lunch and golf, and then have the employee-only party the same night of the golf outing. Then the following morning, everyone is free to leave.”

  “I see where you’re going here. That sounds great,” Martin says. “Can you make the changes and have something back to me?”

  This whole time Ben has avoided looking at me. So I do the same.

  “Sure. I can have something to you this afternoon. And I can send over a modified contract if you agree.”

  Martin nods. “Thanks, Samantha.”

  “We’ll be on our way. Martin, I look forward to talking to you on Thursday. Have a great rest of the day.”

  It takes all I have not to run out of here, especially when Ben finally looks at me through cold eyes. When we get in the elevator, I unleash on Nick.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “What do you mean?” he asks, full of innocence.

  “Just what it sounds like. What happened back there? What were you doing putting your arm around me?”

  “Oh, that. Sorry, I thought you needed some help back there. I was trying to make him jealous.”

  “Nick, you’re playing a very dangerous game here. Ben runs hot and cold.
And it worries me that you pissed him off.”

  Nick gives me a what the hell look. “He seemed like a jerk, Sam, and not worth your time.”

  “Yeah, well, I need to be the judge of that.”

  The elevator dings and we walk out. Nick throws up his hands and says, “Women. I’ll never figure any of you out.”

  I’d like to tell him not to feel bad because I can’t figure myself out either, but I don’t. My head spins with douche-faced Ben. I’d love to ask Nick his opinion, but that would cross the boundaries of employer employee relations. Besides, what would I say? That my fuck buddy is acting like an asshole? No, this one will have to be kept under wraps.

  My best bet is to get this corporate function behind me, and then move away from anything that is remotely related to Ben Rhoades. That man has messed with my head way too much and I don’t have time for his crap. If this is what being a fuck buddy entails, then no, thank you. I believe I am now on no fuck buddy status. I may be horny, but at least I’ll be sane.

  When I see the extra car in the driveway, I almost hang a U-turn and head back home. Instead, I park and close my door a little too hard in anger. I don’t bother to knock; it’s my parents’ home. Mom’s sitting in the living room with Karen drinking what looks like tea from Mom’s good china.

  “Benjamin.”

  Folding my arms over my chest, I know I’m being rude. “What is she doing here?”

  Mom gasps. “Benjamin Martin Rhoades.”

  “It’s okay,” Karen says, getting up. “I should be going.”

  “No, stay for dinner.”

  I glare at Mom, and Karen sees me.

  “It’s obvious he doesn’t want me here, and I don’t wish to cause any problems in your family.”

  “I want you to stay and tell me more about how your aunt is doing. And he can help you. He’s been down this road before with his best friend, Drew. So sad that story.”

  I shake my head in disbelief that my mother would actually go there. “Sad? What’s sad is Karen hanging around you when I’ve made it clear there is never going to be anything between us. And the fact that you are entertaining this is beyond sad. It borders on sick.”