by Sara Hess
“Oh…my…god.” She groaned. “I think you might be better at this than that spa girl.”
I moved down her tight back and spine, wrapping my fingers around her sides as I molded her muscles firmly with my hands. My need to touch her was two-fold; I wanted to ease her tension, but I also wanted to get my hands on her. It ended up being bitter sweet torment, and the pounding heart beat in my dick both complained and approved. My hands were nearly brushing the sides of her breasts when she suddenly tensed again and shot up out of the chair away from me.
“It’s getting really late. I really need to get going.” She blurted out.
Two really’s sounded serious. I held back my smirk at her obvious reaction to my touch.
“Get your things, I’ll take you home.” I turned to go grab my briefcase and jacket.
“What!” Shaw exclaimed loudly behind me. “I mean…what do you mean you’re taking me home? I thought I was going back in the company car again?”
Since my back was to her I allowed my smirk free reign this time at hearing her alarm. “Why have someone go to the trouble of driving you when I’m already going that way?” I reasoned.
Silence met my logic, and it stayed with us the entire way down in the elevator, and as I steered her in the direction of my metallic BMW Alpina B6…and then she said it.
“I knew it.”
“Knew what?” I unlocked the door for her.
“That you would be driving a vehicle like this to compensate for…” She held up her pinky and wiggled it. “You know.”
I held up my own pinky and wiggled it in false confusion. “There’s nothing wrong with my pinky; see, it works fine.”
She set her things in the back and slid into the front with an evil grin. “You know, these days they have tons of new-style gadgets to help with your…deficiency.”
I bent over and got in her face with an evil grin of my own. “You better watch it, Shaw, because I have no problem demonstrating how not-deficient I am.”
She gulped and reddened, but waved her hand carelessly. “Psshh, I…forgot my magnifying glass.”
I busted out laughing. “Is that all you got. That’s so high school. That was seriously disappointing, Shaw.”
She sighed and laid her head back against the seat. “I’m tired…and hungry.” She whined.
Chuckling, I shut the door and strode around to the drivers side. The engine purred when I started her and I reversed out of my designated parking spot.
“You know, this is my first big buy since I started making my own money. It’s my first step to being a real grown-up.”
“This just shows how stunted your thinking is, a mini-van would have screamed grown-up.” She retorted.
I gave a man shiver. “If I ever get one of those I will let you run me over with it.”
She put her hands together and said dreamily. “Finally, a reason to live.”
My cock twitched to give her another reason to live. “And that’s only my first gift to you. Do you like Mexican food?” I saluted the security guy at the gate as he opened it for us.
She frowned. “I can wait till I get home to eat.”
“But I can’t…so do you like Mexican food?” I repeated.
Another sigh. “Yes.”
I grinned at how put out she sounded. “How are end of the term exams going? I forgot that you had those this week. I hope what you’re doing for us isn’t putting too much pressure on you.”
“It’s no problem. I have them in the bag.”
I grinned at her cool arrogance. “What’s your exact major in computers?”
“I have two actually; Internet Technology Security and Networking.”
“Wow! That’s impressive. And here you are already putting your soon to be Internet Security degree to use.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve already talked to one of the professor’s who’s class I’m supposed to be taking next year and he said I can use this as credit for his course.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. She was so certain of her abilities that she had no doubt she would accomplish her goal. Her confidence was sexy as hell.
“That was fast. You weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to graduate early.”
Her lip twisted but not in a happy way. “Nope.”
I gave her a quick thoughtful look. “Why aren’t you enjoying the college experience, Shaw?”
She sighed. “School just sucks.”
What about it sucked for her? “For people who aren’t good at it maybe, but you are extremely intelligent so it should all be a breeze.”
She shrugged and looked out the side window. “The only thing I’m getting from going to college is a title for something I already know what to do. It’s a fucking waste of time, but people like that little piece of paper so...” She didn’t finish.
Bitterness colored her tone but I didn’t think it was because of the reason she was telling me. “Does your dislike have something to do with that problem Carrie was talking about months ago?” The one Carrie would only tell us involved a guy.
Shaw’s expression was confused at first but then cleared with remembrance. She gave me sidelong hooded look. “What do you know about it?”
It was clear she didn’t like the idea of me knowing anything about it, and I wasn’t going to rat out Carrie. “Nothing, but my offer of help still stands.”
“I’m taking care of it, but sometimes stupid takes a long time to fix. I’m sure you know how that is.” She gave me a muted sneer.
“Yeah, actually I do.” I threw her a grin, but whatever this problem was she wasn’t handling it as well as she thought if she was still dealing with it months later, and it bothered me that she wouldn’t share what it was. If she let me I would take care of it for her if it was in my parameters to do so. My desire to fix it for her was so strong it was actually a bit startling.
I wondered suddenly if this guy problem was why she’d said ‘no’ to me. Maybe she’d been through a bad relationship that had soured her on men? Maybe this guy was still a smear on her windshield annoying her no matter how hard she wiped. I needed to question Nic on his knowledge of Shaw’s dating history.
Shaw gasped in mock surprise. “So accepting.”
“I’m a boss, I deal with stupidity everyday.” I countered, pulling into the drive-through of a small Mexican Restaurant.
“Uhgg, fast food.” Shaw complained.
“It’s not your typical fast food chain.” I reassured her. “This is a mom-and-pop restaurant that is able to get certain foods out fast. Mostly tacos, burritos, or nachos.”
Her eyes perked up. “Okay, then I will have a dry bean and cheese burrito with all the veggies they have, and water, and a churro if they have those fast and ready. Please tell me they have those.”
The first spark of enthusiasm I get from her and it’s for a dessert. “Yes, they have churros.”
“Yeahhh,” she clapped eagerly.
At least I knew the way to her heart now…not that I wanted her heart. I liked Shaw, she was gorgeous and engaging, and my cock was so fucking hard for her I was going crazy, but someone’s heart wasn’t something I was looking for at the moment.
I gave our order to the teenage girl at the window and a couple minutes later she handed us our food. Handing Shaw her drink I set the bag of food in my lap as I drove away.
“If you give me the bag I can divvy up the food.” Shaw offered.
“Can you survive five more minutes?” I asked, a plan forming in my head to give us more time together.
“I don’t know, do you like your arm?” She returned.
I chuckled at the insinuation of her eating my limb. “Come on, you can handle five minutes.”
Deep exhalation. “Maybe, why?”
“Tell you in five minutes.” I threw her a smirk.
She cocked her eyebrow, effectively torturing the hell out of me, and making the swelling in my pants even more of a discomfort. “I have to wait for my food and to find out why
. You’re really stretching your luck, Evan.”
“Hey, I have some skittles in my pants. Want to taste the rainbow?”
She turned to look out the side window, but I saw the grin she was attempting to hide. “No, skittles leave a nasty taste in my mouth.”
I laughed. “Do you like pickles? I’ll give you a nickel to taste my pickle, and then I’ll make you shiver as I deliver.”
She giggled under her breath. “I only like those Vlasic pickles that snap when you bite them.” Her eyes came back to me with a bright twinkle in them. “Is it one of those?”
I shuddered through my amusement. “Nope, definitely not a Vlasic.”
“It’s probably one of those nasty limp pickles.” Now she shuddered.
My affronted look wasn’t faked. “Not even close.” I groused.
“Okay, okay, calm down. It’s only a pickle.” She snickered.
I shook my head. She always had a comeback and I loved it. My destination came into view and I drove through the entrance and parked. Grabbing the bag of food and my drink I climbed out of the car pretty certain she’d follow, and I was right.
“Where are you going?” She yelled hopping out.
“Don’t forget your drink.” I hollered back instead.
Arriving at the nearest picnic table I set the bag down and began unpacking the food. She appeared ten seconds later.
“What are we doing here?” She grumbled.
“Decompressing.” I responded.
Normally I’d decompress with exercise, and still would when I got home later, but Shaw needed it as well and I wasn’t sure what she had planned for tonight. I figured I could make certain she got fifteen minutes at least. I passed this park with its small lake and footpath everyday I drove to and from work and noticed it was a good place to picnic and get a short walk in.
I handed Shaw her burrito. “Eat, and then we’ll take a quick walk to stretch our legs.” Grabbing my burrito I sat on top of the picnic table, my feet on the bench seat.
Shaw narrowed her eyes on me…glanced behind her at the lake…looked down at her burrito…and finally climbed up to sit next to me…three feet away. God forbid she sit too close.
“Did you know burritos are the perfect food?” I queried before taking a bite.
“How’s that?” She asked, taking a bite of hers.
Getting my mouthful down I answered. “It has meat, cheese, beans, vegetable, fruit, and grain.” I remembered Shaw had gotten a meat-free burrito. “That is if you order it right.” I amended.
“It’s better for you without the meat, and tomatoes as a fruit have been extensively debated, but rather than argue this time I will agree with you.”
“It’s a miracle. I have just witnessed a miracle.” I stated this to my burrito like it could hear me.
“Make sure you appreciate it because it may never happen again.” She declared and looked like she was trying to cover another smile by biting into her burrito.
“I’m going to write it down for posterity sake.” We ate a few more bites before I asked her. “Are you going to Landon’s and Maya’s wedding?”
She answered after swallowing. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Why was she so set on keeping her distance from us, or was it us…maybe it was everyone? I watched her intently. “Why wouldn’t you? You appeared to have had a good time with all the girls Saturday, and Maya told me she invited you.”
“Yeah, they were great, and it was fun.”
“So why the holdout?” I pressed.
She blew out a deep breath, staring out at the lake. “I don’t like to be around a lot of people; especially people I don’t know.”
I cocked my head at hearing a hint of sadness to her tone. “Well, you’re lucky because this is a small wedding; immediate family and close friends, and you’ll know most of the friends.”
Her mouth twisted. “I have this job and my employers are hard-asses, so I might have to work.”
I grinned. “If your new boss is the father of the groom, and a really handsome, charismatic younger guy, than I think you might be excused for the weekend.”
She rolled her eyes away from me her lips curling higher. “I have a good feeling I might get the job done before that anyway.” She said and finished off the last of her burrito.
This weekend’s prospects were looking up. Shaw was slowly warming to me and hopefully it would be enough for her and I to finally hook-up.
“You have nothing holding you back then.” I proclaimed.
She didn’t say anything, but her silence was still promising.
Pulling the second burrito I ordered out of the bag along with Shaw’s churro, I pulled her off the picnic table so we could amble around the perimeter of the lake. As we finished up our meal I ended up disclosing a lot of the stupid shit me and the guys had gotten into; stupid fights, pranks, and drunken acts of public nakedness. It had her laughing softly and I liked hearing it realizing that I hadn’t really heard that sound from her mouth in the time I’d known her. It had me digging deep to find further stories so I could hear more of her laughter.
From Shaw I wasn’t able to get much. She talked about a couple parties and amusing events that had happened, but there weren’t any details about her or anyone she knew…any of her friends. It only made me more curious about her.
Before I was ready Shaw informed me she needed to get back because she had an early exam the next day she had to get rested up for. The twenty-five minute drive to her school housing was mostly silent except for a few comments on the music that was playing. When I pulled up outside her apartment building she was out the door with a quick ‘see you tomorrow’ before I could get out any remark of my own.
That girl had the fastest exodus mode of anyone I’d ever met.
CHAPTER FIVE
SHAW
It was Wednesday night and I’d been slaving over the computer for five hours trying to narrow down where this dick-ass uploaded his nasty, albeit ingenious, money siphoning program. But I hadn’t found it yet. This company had so many employees and eliminating each one took time. I could only hope it wasn’t going to be one of those situations where I found it in the last place I looked.
Because that was so freaking annoying.
However, it was six o’clock and time to go home so I closed down my computer expecting to find it tomorrow.
“Ready to head home?” Evan walked up holding his suit jacket and briefcase and my heart started to flutter like some fairy on crack.
The man was like a fairer, younger Tony Stark in the flesh; cocky, super intelligent, comical, and I’d just found out today that he wore glasses sometimes when he read reports. All they’d done was make him look hotter. And shit, did he fill out a suit. But when his jacket was off, and his shoulders, back, and arm muscles strained against the material of his shirt…well, it made everything in me quiver, and throb, and…want. God I wanted.
But wanting was bad.
Giving into the want required trust, and I didn’t trust anymore. Trusting someone was akin to taking a knife and thrusting it into your own heart.
Well, I did trust Carrie, but she was just so easy to trust, and then there was David.
I didn’t think I had anymore in me to bestow.
Evan was making it difficult though.
“Shaw, are you spacing out on me?” Evan waved his hand in front of my face with a devilish grin. “Or are you getting lost in the awesomeness of me?”
Shit…it was definitely that second one. “Check for the first one, ha and scoff for the second.”
Snatching up my gear with irritable grumbles that had him chuckling I walked silently with him down to his car. As I settled in his leather passenger seat I was once again surrounded by the concentrated scent of him and it instantly had its usual mind altering effect on me. Being stuck in this confined space with him for thirty minutes was torture.
Once we were buckled in and driving down the road he asked me. “Care if I stop for somethin
g to eat again?”
“Is this one of those metaphorical questions where my answer doesn’t really matter?” I asked sarcastically. Actually, I think that came out sounding more amused. Shit, was I losing my bitch edge?
“We have to compare our IQ scores, because our minds are scarily in sync.” He joked.
I sighed inwardly at how things were being maneuvered around me. Evan was inadvertently pushing me to tread that zoned off path of damning emotions I wanted no part of, and my feet were finding it harder and harder not to take it. I’d been burned horribly whenever I reached out for them; affection, belonging, love, so I’d stopped reaching. For whatever reason people have a difficult time connecting with me.
It was easy keeping the other guys I hung out with on the safe side of the line. They were good for companionship but I had no problem leaving and never agonized over them, but Evan was becoming an itch under my skin I couldn’t scratch. At our second meeting all those months ago I felt he was going to be different, and at first all I had wanted to do was get as far away from him as I could. I hadn’t been able to completely stay away though, and I’d ended up teasing—or rather torturing—myself with his company. It hadn’t taken long before I was looking forward to seeing him.
When he’d asked me out I was convinced he’d heard the rumors about me. I’d run into Ford, or rather Ford had run into me four days before, and he’d commented on some new guy showing an interest in me and that he’d put in a good word on my behalf. I didn’t have to guess what Ford had said; he had a one track mouth. I’d put two and two together and come up with Evan thinking I was a sure thing. Ford had sent a lot of guys my way using that same method.
Ford was a mistake I wish I had never made, either that or go back in time and stab him in his junk, but if it hadn’t been Ford screwing with my life it would have just been one of the other guys. I’m a notoriously bad judge of character, and I’d been needy in my younger years, yearning for attention and affection.
Subsequently, when Evan had asked me out after Ford seemed to have given him the ‘bro she’s a ho’ heads-up I’d been conflicted on whether to crucify Evan or cry. Stunned that crying had been one of my choices I’d opted to get the hell out of there, but then Evan had acted as if it was no big deal and I’d let myself fall back into our previous behavior because a small, hidden part of me hadn’t wanted to cut all ties. I’d convinced myself that his asking me out had been a coincidence and secretly took delight in our verbal warfare.