The Unblocked Collection

by Marni Mann

  I was losing focus.

  “It’s for you,” Brea said, pointing at the package. “And only you can sign for it.”

  I scribbled my name across his tablet and took the box out of his hands. It was twice the size of a shipping envelope. Much thicker, too. I checked for a return address and lettering on the box. There was none, just the standard cardboard and packaging tape.

  “Who’s it from?” she asked, as he left, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, I think you do…”

  I looked away from her know-all grin, cut through the tape and opened the side flap. Inside was a folder, along with a smaller box wrapped in shiny paper with a lace and satin bow. I placed both on my desk. Then I slowly lifted the top of the folder.

  Brea leaned forward to get a better look at the stack of papers inside. “Just when I thought Derek Block couldn’t be any more perfect, he proves me wrong again.”

  I had thought the same last night when I was coming on his hand.

  Remembering it made me blush.

  Lying on my desk was my contract, signed and initialed by Derek. He had agreed to all my terms and hadn’t tried to negotiate. I was surprised. What I had asked for wasn’t unreasonable; I’d kept my percentages conservative because I wanted him as a long-term client, but he was in business to negotiate. In addition to my rates, he’d also committed to a one-year exclusive agreement.

  “He gave you everything you asked for, didn’t he?”

  I scanned my list of terms once again to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. His black ink initials were next to each one. I looked up and met Brea’s misty blue eyes. “Yes…he did.”

  “Why do you think he did that?”

  I shrugged. “My requests were practical. I usually ask for at least a point more.”

  “I think he has an ulterior motive.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. But before I explain it to you, I want to see what’s inside the box.”

  So did I.

  I untied the bow and lifted the sides of the wrapping paper. The box was larger than something that would hold jewelry, but too small to accommodate a whole outfit. I gripped the cardboard and wiggled the top off. “Oh God…” I whispered. Lying in a mound of light pink tissue paper was a pair of panties—black lace and satin, similar to the decorative bow and full of ornate detail. Thin straps connected the sides with minimal coverage in the back.

  “Just like I thought,” she said. I slowly glanced at her, knowing my face had turned even redder. “That bearded beauty has got some excellent taste.”

  “I’m…” I took a breath. “I’m not even sure what to say.”

  She chuckled. “That’s a way better present than what we usually get.”

  “Brea…”

  “Aren’t you tired of those restaurant gift cards? I am. My ass is, too.”

  There was a note on the bottom of the tissue paper. I covered it with the panties and placed the box on the side of my desk, far away from Brea. She’d seen enough; she didn’t need to see what was on the note, too. “I’m tired of gift cards, sure, but—”

  “What girl doesn’t want something sexy that a stunner like Derek Block picked out? He was thinking of your hot ass when he chose those. You should feel flattered.”

  I pointed at the box. “You think he agreed to my terms because he wants to get inside my panties?”

  “Guys like Derek start with a physical attraction because it’s easy for them. Everything about them is sexy—their bodies, their words, their thoughts. And no offense, Frankie, but you need some sexy in your life.”

  Derek had said he wanted things to be physical, and nothing more. Maybe Brea had a point.

  “His building is my priority,” I said, for her benefit and mine.

  “For now it is. But I promise, once you get a taste of that, your priorities are going to change.” She stood from her chair, a confident grin on her face. “And I’m all for it.”

  “You’re a bad influence.”

  “Absolutely.” She laughed. “I’m also the voice you need to hear in your head the next time you’re having dinner with him.”

  She didn’t know what had actually happened between us. I had called after my bath to appease her, but I kept the details to myself and only admitted to some heavy flirting.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

  “Frankie, it’s going to move past the physical. This is only the beginning. So get ready.”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it will.”

  “He didn’t sign your contract just because he wants to get in your pants. He’s gorgeous; he could get in any woman’s pants. He’s giving you his entire building—exclusively. That’s way too much of an investment for a quick bag and bail. He wants more.”

  “I…”

  “I know this is a lot for you to take in,” she moved to the doorway. “But just think about it…because I’m right.” She was smiling as she left the room.

  Once I heard her on the phone and knew she was too occupied to pop back in, I quietly opened the box again and took out the note.

  Since you soaked through your last pair…

  Don’t wear them today or tomorrow. Wear them when I tell you to.

  —D

  A familiar pulsing began to throb between my legs again, reminding me of the way Derek’s fingers had curved inside me, the way he had rubbed my clit, and how the combination of the two had caused me to shudder.

  I had to stop.

  I couldn’t let his thought-provoking lingerie prevent me from functioning all day, or allow it to send me home and into the shower where I could enjoy the sensation of my fingers under a hot stream. I had a full schedule with no room to cancel any of my appointments, especially the one with my friend Anna.

  I had forty-five minutes until I was due at her apartment. With traffic and a stop at my favorite bakery, it meant I had to leave now. It also meant I would have to thank Derek from the car.

  I locked the panties inside one of the drawers and grabbed my coat and purse on the way out. I reached Brea’s desk and saw that her grin hadn’t faded at all. I ignored it. I wasn’t going there again. “I’m headed to Anna’s if you need me.”

  “This early?”

  “There’s going to be traffic.”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  I tied the belt of my jacket around my waist and readjusted my purse. “What does that mean?”

  “Leaving so early gives you time to properly thank your admirer. Well…maybe not all the way properly. But enough to remind him why he sent you those panties.”

  “Does your mind always go there?”

  “Yes. And yours really should, too.”

  I rolled my eyes, although it wasn’t needed. Brea could see right through me. “Text me if any more packages come in.”

  “Will do, boss lady.”

  ***

  Once I was in the backseat of the SUV with Norm driving toward The Carrot Cake, I took out my phone to send Derek a text. Our exchanges had only taken place through email. I hoped he wouldn’t mind the change.

  Me: I’m wet just looking at them…

  Not more than a few seconds had passed before he replied. Apparently, he was as quick with text messages as he was with email.

  Derek: That was the point.

  Me: I was talking about your signature and initials on my contract.

  Derek: No you weren’t.

  Me: Thank you for the panties. I should have said that first.

  Derek: Hearing how wet you are took care of that.

  Me: Too bad you didn’t send them in the evening, because now I’ll be wet all day.

  Derek: That was the point too.

  ***

  “Cookies?” Anna asked, as I walked through the door to her apartment.

  I held up the clear plastic container for her to observe. “Chocolate fudge-covered brownies.”

  “Even be
tter.”

  As I moved through the kitchen, I noticed the table was covered in skeins of yarn, all in different pastel colors. “A baby blanket?”

  “It’s for my neighbor’s daughter. She’s due in a few weeks.”

  In the thirteen years I’d known her, she was always knitting something. She made clothes, mittens, hats, and blankets. I’d never tried it myself and knew little about it, but I could tell the quantity of yarn she had on the table was enough to make more than one blanket.

  “Is she having triplets?”

  “Oh good lord, no.” She waved me closer. “Stop dilly-dallying and get your tush over here.” I smiled as I approached her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I took a deep breath of her cherry blossom scent. “Missed you, doll.”

  “Missed you, too.” I squeezed, not too hard to hurt her fragile frame, but enough to show her the sincerity of my words. I rested my chin on the top of her head, her white hive of hair tickling my skin.

  She finally released me, and I walked over to the coffee table where two plates, forks, and napkins awaited. I set one brownie on her plate and two on mine.

  “Your dad’s trip to Croatia went well, I assume?” she asked as she sat on the chair across from me.

  “You know how he is…” I took a seat on the couch, immediately feeling the springs as they poked into the cushion. “When I asked him, he said it was fine. He did come back with a nice tan, though.”

  “Did he come back with the same girlfriend?”

  I laughed out loud. My father’s philandering was a constant joke between us. “I believe so, but I hardly doubt she’ll last through the end of the week.”

  She lay a napkin across her lap and set the plate on top of it. “So what’s been cooking?” I opened my mouth to take a bite, but her hand glided through the air and stopped me. “Before you start eating, I want to know about the date you went on.”

  My skin began to heat. “What date?” I ignored her fingers and nibbled off one of the corners. The gooey chocolate swirled around my tongue and melted. It was rich, almost painfully sweet. I would be eating the two on my plate and possibly one more.

  “The last time I saw you look this way was when you first began dating Reed. Someone is making you glow, and I want to know who he is.”

  That period with Reed had been such a happy one. We had just started to really collaborate in business, referring each other some of the largest contracts of our career. We were traveling and having our best sex. We couldn’t get enough of each other.

  But it hadn’t ended that way.

  When I really thought about it, I realized Derek’s fingers had stimulated more emotion, more passion than any part of Reed’s body ever had.

  “It wasn’t a date,” I said.

  “It was something.”

  “Yes, it was…something.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.” She looked down at the brownie on her plate and blushed a little. “If I were twenty years younger, I would be doing the same.”

  “But Anna, what if the fun comes with a risk?”

  “Survivors take risks, doll, and that’s what we are. Reed hurt you, and you’re still feeling that sting. That doesn’t mean the next guy won’t hurt you or the one after that. If you hadn’t ever experienced pain, then you wouldn’t be able to understand the true depths of love. With one comes the other. And yours will come…but you can’t spend the rest of your life alone because you’re afraid of getting hurt again.”

  I had fears. Plenty of them. What if I gave myself to him physically, but I wasn’t able to stop from getting emotionally involved. Despite Brea’s predictions, Derek had said he only wanted a physical relationship.

  What was it that I wanted?

  “I’m having dinner with Alston on Saturday night,” she said.

  “You are?”

  Alston lived a few floors down from Anna. The last time I was here I had mentioned that he had been asking about her. She’d been so hesitant about going on a date with him. I was glad she’d changed her mind.

  “I figure it saves me from fixing something to eat that night.” She set down her plate with more than half the brownie left on it. “Dinner and some conversation isn’t going to kill me. It won’t kill you, either. Although…” She licked a bit of chocolate off her finger. “I have a suspicion you’ve skipped the dinner part and went straight to the what-happens-after part.”

  My phone chimed from my purse, which I had left on the kitchen counter. “One second…I have to check that.” I stood from the couch, grateful for the interruption. When I reached my phone, Derek’s name appeared on the screen:

  Is your wetness dripping down your legs yet?

  A flutter erupted in my stomach, triggering that throbbing to pulse yet again. I didn’t know how a sentiment so short, so unromantic and crude could have this effect on me.

  I slid my phone back into my purse so I could give Anna my full attention. The last thing I wanted was for her to see his text.

  “We’ve been through some hard times,” she said as she walked into the kitchen. She rested her hands on my shoulders. “Times when I questioned whether we’d make it, but we always did. Together.”

  The erotic throbbing screeched to a halt, and a knot began to wedge itself into my throat. “I know.”

  The corners of her eyes creased as her stare deepened. “We’re going to do this together, too, this dating thing. It’ll be our next adventure, whatever it means and wherever it takes us. Sound good?”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Whoever this man is, he sees how beautiful you are. I know that because I can see the way he makes you feel.”

  “The feelings he stirs…” I paused, getting my thoughts together. “I’ve never felt anything so strong before. Not even with Reed.”

  Her aged eyes scanned mine. “Good. It makes me happy to hear that.” She pulled me closer, wrapping her arms around me. “We’ll start there and see what happens. The important thing is that we’re starting.”

  She couldn’t have been more right.

  ***

  Back inside the SUV with Norm driving me to my next appointment, I pulled out my phone to reply to Derek’s text. Before even typing a word, I could already feel the heat returning to my cheeks, the warmth spreading to my breasts. I cuddled into the corner of the backseat, bending my knees so I could wrap my toes around the edge of the seat.

  Me: If it was dripping down my legs, what should I do about it?

  Derek: Wipe it with your fingers. Then stick those wet fingers in your mouth and tell me how good you taste.

  Me: You’re so dirty.

  Derek: Dirty is when I tell you to take those fingers and stick them in your ass. We’re not there yet.

  Me: We will be?

  Derek: You’ll be begging for me to be inside your ass soon.

  Me: How soon?

  He left me without a reply.

  TEN.

  DEREK

  I RECLINED in my chair and propped my legs on the desk as I stared at Frankie’s last text. She wanted to know how soon it would be before she was begging me to fuck her in the ass. She was baiting me. My dick couldn’t take it anymore.

  I had to have her.

  A taste of her, at least.

  I would swipe my tongue across her pussy again and again, licking until there were enough of her juices to fill my mouth. Then I’d swallow, savoring her flavor. I needed to hear those sweet moans, that labored breath. I needed to feel her smooth, soft skin against my lips.

  I needed her now. I had no goddamn patience for this.

  But I couldn’t…

  Fuck it. I’d give her some foreplay—that was all. Appeasing my cock would have to wait.

  Me: Where are you?

  As soon as I hit send, I wanted to throw my phone across the room and watch the screen shatter. What was it about her that made me break every promise to myself? One night and one morning—that’s all I would give her. That promise had gone
to hell last night when I fingered her. I told myself it didn’t count because my dick hadn’t touched her, and since I only planned to use my mouth, today wouldn’t count either.

  Who was I kidding? It counted.

  It all counted.

  My phone vibrated on my lap.

  Frankie: I’m driving to a showing.

  Me: What part of town?

  Frankie: Beacon Hill, heading toward Fenway.

  Depending which route she took, she might be passing through the Back Bay.

  I swung the chair from side to side as I read her words over and over. Her pussy was dangling in front of me. I didn’t know if I could stop myself from taking it. If this were just about getting off, I could call Tamra and have her suck my cock. She’d be swallowing my load in less than an hour. But this wasn’t just about getting off.

  This was about Frankie.

  Me: Stop by my office on your way through.

  Frankie: I won’t have much time.

  Me: You won’t need much.

  Frankie: To do what?

  Me: Hurry up.

  ***

  “Frankie’s pulling up,” Will said through the intercom on my phone. I’d asked him to wait for her by the front and to let me know when she got there.

  “I need at least fifteen minutes with her. No disruptions.”

  “No problem.”

  I shoved my hand down the waist of my jeans and readjusted. My dick hadn’t softened at all in the time it had taken her to get here. “Send her down when she comes in.”

  “Got it.”

  I hung up and shut down my email. There were several messages in there from Julia that I hadn’t gotten around to deleting. That woman wouldn’t take no for an answer. I didn’t want Frankie to get upset at seeing her name…and the position I planned to have her in would give her the perfect view of my screen.

  “I don’t have any of your paperwork with me,” she said from the doorway, “and I left my tablet in the car, so I hope whatever you need doesn’t require specifics.”