Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  “Stone is out of bitch mode. I overheard her talking to Marina.”

  “Really? Did some of the ice melt while she was away?”

  “Maybe she got laid. You know that’s what she needs. I suspect she might be gay. You never see her with a man.”

  “What does it matter? As long as she’s not on our asses. I’m sick of walking around with anxiety when she’s here. The past two weeks have been heaven. I loved having pictures of my boyfriend on my desk.”

  I banned any personal items from my employee’s desks a year ago. The place was beginning to look like a hoarder’s paradise with pictures, small mementos, and flowers all over the place. Maybe I would rethink the policy now that my head was in a better place.

  “I find it hard to believe a woman that pretty couldn’t attract a man.”

  “She’s pretty, but maybe her body is a mess. She always wears those frumpy business suits. You can’t even tell if she’s hot underneath.”

  “We better get back to work because you never know when she’s going to flip the script and return to her old ways.”

  Anger was bubbling in my chest as I waited for them to leave and flush the toilet. When I came out, I stood back and looked at myself in the mirror. My suits were frumpy and non-descript. I did it for a reason. I wanted to be taken seriously without displaying myself. Now that I achieved that, maybe it was time for a change.

  I left the bathroom and scanned the office to see if I could figure out which of my employees were talking about me. Everyone was hard at work. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, and I fished it out to look at the screen.

  * * *

  Coffee tonight? Or maybe a big juicy burger at my place?

  * * *

  Austin, I have so much to do on my first day back. I won’t get out of here until seven or eight. Don’t you have papers to grade?

  * * *

  School just started. I’m not one of those wicked assholes that gives a ton of homework. I’m a cool professor.

  * * *

  So you say. Is your class full of young horny women?

  * * *

  Why would you ask that?

  * * *

  I went to college, too. Hot male professors have plenty of female students.

  * * *

  You think I’m hot? I have no interest in my students.

  * * *

  I rolled my eyes, angry that I revealed my hand. I did think Austin was hot, but I didn’t want him to know my feelings. I have to go. A conference call awaits.

  * * *

  Coffee this week or I wait at your office until you consent.

  * * *

  Fine. Coffee this week. Maybe Wednesday depending on my schedule.

  * * *

  My belly clenched as I walked back to my office, and I thought about spending time in bed with Austin. Of course, I had told him that we would only be friends, but now that I had a taste of what I’d been missing for the past four years, I didn’t want it to end. It didn’t hurt that he had a big cock and knew how to satisfy me many times over.

  I was on a cloud when I sat down in my chair. I stood staring at my laptop for a few minutes before the buzzer sounded.

  “Yes, Marina?”

  “Francis Rodriguez is on the line. He says it’s urgent.”

  Francis was the director of our new movie, Building Credibility. He was working on reshoots at the moment.

  “Put him through.”

  I picked up the red flashing line, “Francis, what’s the matter?”

  “Why would you think anything was the matter?”

  I drummed my nails on the desk. “You wouldn’t be calling and saying it’s urgent if there wasn’t.”

  “True, but there’s nothing wrong. I just wanted to alert you that the reshoots are complete and we’re below budget.”

  “Bravo. You finished early and below cost. That’s what I like to hear.”

  I was back in ice queen mode, but it’s what gave me the upper hand. The minute I showed any kindness, they would walk all over me. I wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “I’ll be in touch as soon as we complete editing.”

  “Fine. Thank you.”

  I hung up before he could say anything else. I know it was rude, but it’s how I kept my edge. I’m sure he was cursing me out on the other end.

  I wiped the sweat that was leaking into my eyes as I continued to run on the treadmill. Two weeks without working out had taken its toll, and I was gulping air like it was candy. My trainer, Jay Garvey, a former MMA champion, scowled at me.

  “Did you do anything while you were away?”

  “Swim and snorkel.”

  “Any cardio? You’re sucking air like a vacuum.”

  The only cardio I did was large amounts of sex.

  “No cardio. I have to stop,” I panted.

  “I bet you do.”

  Jay reached over, and instead of lowering the incline and speed of the treadmill, he raised it.

  I groaned. “This is too much.”

  “Five minutes at this speed. That will teach you to lie around tanning and eating food, which raises your cholesterol and blood pressure.”

  Jay was the only one I took shit from mainly because he toughened me up when I first became CEO. He wasn’t only my trainer, but my confidante. Plenty of times in the early days I sat in his office after a tough workout, crying. He was kinder then, now he was just a bastard giving me a taste of my own medicine.

  I watched the counter as the numbers decreased and prayed for it to hit zero before I fell flat on my face and was shot against the wall by the speeding treadmill. Jay stood there with his bulging muscular arms crossed, watching me struggle to maintain the speed. When it finally hit zero, I was thankful and practically blind from the stinging sweat that leaked in my eyes. I wiped my face with the small towel I had hanging on the arm of the treadmill.

  “Before you left, this would have been simple.”

  “I was on vacation.”

  “Your stamina and endurance dropped. Did you meet anyone?”

  “No,” I lied.

  “Too bad.”

  He knew what my deal was. I didn’t date, I had no friends, and I spent my off hours by myself. In a way, Jay was a friend even if he was one I only saw at the gym.

  I wiped the sweat from my arms. “I have no time for relationships.”

  He sighed. “That’s your problem. You don’t make time for them. They don’t form themselves.”

  “What about you?”

  “I have friends. I date. That’s the difference.”

  “Why do you nag me about this all the time?”

  “You’re a gorgeous woman wasting her life thinking that no one will want you because you have a reputation. Find someone out of the industry.”

  I snorted as I stepped off the belt. “That doesn’t change who I am. I’m a bitch. I know that.”

  “You set your own parameters. Don’t let others do it for you.”

  “I need to shower. I have a meeting at four.”

  Jay waved his hand. “Go then. I have a client coming in fifteen. Wednesday, we skip the weights, and you do cardio until you get back up to speed.”

  I groaned as I headed to the shower. By the time I got back to the office, most of my employees were finishing up for the day. I preferred a late afternoon workout. Even though Jay put me through my paces, I felt energized for the next few hours, I would be at my desk.

  I smiled at Marina when I came to collect my messages. “Why don’t you go home for the evening?”

  She once again gaped at me. “You’re sure you don’t need me?”

  “No. I can handle anything that comes across my desk.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  She handed me my messages, and I went in my office to make calls. An hour later, the place was deserted when I came out for a cup of coffee. I liked when it was quiet; it gave me time to think. However, before vacation, it was all about work, now my mind drifted t
o Austin’s sleek muscular body.

  He was doing to me exactly what I hadn’t wanted to happen, distracting me. I loaded the Keurig and hummed while it brewed my cup. I inhaled the aroma as I removed the mug.

  My cell rang as I headed back to my office, and I swiped the screen with my thumb. “Samantha Stone.”

  “Join me for coffee.”

  “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “I can’t get you out of my head.”

  That makes two of us.

  Before I spoke another word, I closed the door, so if any stragglers were around, they wouldn’t hear my conversation.

  “Even around all those young women?”

  “What’s with you and the young women? I need a mature woman.”

  “Thanks. I’m not quite sure if that’s a compliment.”

  “I assure you; it is. See me tonight.”

  “Where?”

  “You could join me for dinner at my place.”

  “I prefer somewhere public if I go at all.”

  “Are you afraid of me?”

  No, I’m just afraid that I’ll end up in your bed and never want to leave.

  I snorted. “Excuse me? Afraid?”

  “It’s just dinner and maybe a glass of wine.”

  “I’m incredibly busy.”

  “Then meet me for dessert.”

  “And where should I do that?”

  “Gelateria Dolce.”

  “Absolutely not. I already got tortured today by my trainer. You’re a bad influence. I didn’t work out once while on vacation.”

  “I’d say you got plenty of workouts.”

  Bastard! My belly clenched several times and I could feel my core heating at the thought of the workouts we had together.

  “Those don’t count.”

  “If I didn’t know you, I would be hurt by your statement.”

  “It wasn’t meant to hurt you, but we had a deal.”

  “And you’re worried if we hang out that you’ll end up in my bed, right?”

  “I’m not worried because it wouldn’t happen.”

  “Then meet me for dessert at least. Throw me a bone. I’m dying here.”

  I laughed, “You want to see me that bad?”

  The truth was that I wanted to see Austin, too, but I didn’t want to seem desperate.

  “I do. I don’t care if we don’t have sex…well I do, but you said it’s off the table.”

  “It is because it distracts me from what I have to do. I can’t get soft in this business.”

  “Maybe I should go into that business because you make me perpetually hard.”

  “And on that note. What time do you want me to meet you?”

  “When are you free?”

  “I should be out by seven thirty.”

  “Then how about eight? Can you get there by that time?”

  “Shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Eight it is. Can’t wait. I’ll see you then.”

  After we hung up, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I was going through my schedule for the week and read the same date several times. I gave up and shut down my laptop. It was just after seven, and it didn’t matter if I left early. I was the boss, and everything was finished for the day.

  I went to the bathroom to apply some makeup before I walked out of the building. Normally, I kept my look subdued. I shouldn’t have bothered since Austin saw me in practically nothing when we were on vacation. He didn’t care and told me I was naturally beautiful. I stepped back after I was finished and looked at myself. My suit was boring black, and I removed my jacket and unbuttoned my white blouse down to my cleavage. I usually wore it buttoned up to the neck.

  When I got to Gelateria Dolce, Austin dressed in a pair of gray slacks and light pink oxford with rolled sleeves, sitting at a small two seat table. He jumped up when he saw me and came over, taking my hand in his. He pressed his lips to my cheek and nuzzled my neck before we walked to the counter to place our orders.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “Just a small vanilla.”

  “Live a little, woman. They have fantastic flavors. How about blood orange or vanilla bourbon? Maybe a little spicy dark chocolate?”

  I shook my head. “Just plain vanilla.”

  He gestured to the dining area. “Grab a seat, and I’ll place the order.”

  Austin let my hand go, and I found a table against the wall. He came over with a small tray in his hand, which held five cups of gelato. I wondered what he was up to. He smiled at me as he sat down with the tray.

  “Hungry?”

  “We’re having a sampler.”

  “Where’s my vanilla?”

  “They were out.”

  I frowned, “They had a big tray of it in the case.”

  Austin grinned. “Humor me please.”

  I reached over to grab a cup. “Which one is mine?”

  He pulled the tray away. “None of them. They’re both of ours. I want to feed you.”

  I scowled. “Austin, this is just weird. Can I have my own cup?”

  “Nope. Now stop being difficult.”

  I noticed he had only one spoon as he dug into the cup of dark chocolate. He took a small bit and held it out to me. I shook my head.

  “Just taste it.”

  He held the gelato so close I could feel the chill of the treat. I opened my mouth, and he slipped the spoonful inside. It was delicious, but as I rolled it around my tongue, I felt a slight burn and opened my eyes wide.

  Austin chuckled. “It’s cayenne pepper chocolate. I thought we could use something spicy, like you.”

  “I like it. It has a little bite at the end.”

  He reached into his pocket and handed me a small white plastic spoon.

  “Can I feed you?” I asked as I took the spoon from his hand.

  “I wish you would.”

  Austin’s amber eyes sparkled as I dug into what looked like pistachio. It had small bits of chopped nuts mixed into the light green gelato. I held it out to him, and he seductively took it off the spoon, slowly sliding his mouth off the utensil and licking his lips with the tip of his tongue.

  “Stop it,” I whispered.

  “Stop what? I’m just tasting some gelato.”

  “You’re trying to seduce me.”

  “If I could by only taking some gelato off a spoon, then I would be very good.”

  “You know what you’re doing,” I growled.

  “Is it making you hot?”

  “Not one bit.”

  Austin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Liar. You forget that we spent the better part of our vacation having sex. I know when you’re heated.”

  “Well, you have it wrong. I’m fine.”

  I wasn’t fine. I squirmed in my seat as I’m sure my panties were now soaked. I wished I was home so I could take care of myself.

  “Then why are you squirming?”

  I shifted, crossing my legs at the ankles under the table. “I’m not squirming, Mr. Doyle. I’m simply readjusting my position.”

  “Why are you being so stubborn?” he whispered.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Would you prefer my tongue on your pussy rather than this spoon?”

  I almost moaned out loud. I wanted his tongue, mouth, and everything else he had to give on my body, not just my pussy.

  “Keep your voice down.”

  Austin leaned against the table, running his thumb over my cheek. “Answer my question.”

  I cleared my throat. “If I say yes, will you stop?”

  “If you say yes, then we’ll be leaving here for my place.”

  I dropped the spoon on the tray. “Take me home.”

  He raised his eyebrows, “Your home?”

  “My home, your home. Whichever is closer.”

  He stood up so suddenly that his chair almost tipped over. “Let’s go. My car is in the parking lot.”

  Austin held out his hand, and I too
k it. Like a child, he led me out to the parking lot to a silver Audi A5 convertible.

  “Nice car,” I mumbled as he opened the door and deposited me in the passenger seat. He rushed around to his side and slipped in next to me. Before he started the car, he ran his hand up my thigh, pausing just below my upper thigh.

  “You should dress sexier when we’re together. Put your belt on.”

  “I just came from work.”

  “What a waste.”

  “What’s a waste?”

  He ignored me as he gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

  “What’s a waste?” I repeated.

  He shifted into second gear. “That you hide that delicious body of yours from everyone. Do they even know what’s under those frumpy clothes you’re wearing?”

  I frowned, digging my nails into the armrest. “My job is not to show off my body; it’s to run a company. It’s better they don’t know what’s underneath.”

  Austin downshifted as he came to a stoplight. “I should be glad they don’t. I want you all for myself. I won’t share you.”

  I looked out the window at the people on the sidewalk. “We’re not together.”

  He went silent as he expertly navigating the traffic in town and then driving toward the Hollywood Hills.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My house. I can’t wait to spread you out on my bed and have you.”

  I was speechless as his hand traveled up my thigh again and pressed against the lace panel of my panties.

  “You’re wet,” he said hoarsely as he stroked his fingers against me. I shifted in my seat to give him better access and bit my lip to keep from moaning. “You want me, don’t you?”

  “You know I do,” I almost moaned.

  “I’ve been hard since I left the Maldives, just thinking about you.”