by Conn, Claudy
“Don’t sound too excited.” He was playing along, adding to her desire to jump into his arms.
“I’m not … I didn’t mean to … forget it.”
He indicated the direction of his office with his head, and she took the hint and followed him. As they passed his secretary or whatever fancy name they used for that position now, he held his hand up indicating he wasn’t ready to be bothered yet. It seemed rude to Lacey, but the woman didn’t seem to be affected by it at all and replied with a thumbs up, as if this was just a normal means of communication.
As the door clicked behind them, his shoulders slumped. He was no longer trying to be the perfect put together boss, he was just being him.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Northrup?”
He responded with open arms and she walked right in, holding him tightly, her head nestled into his chest, his head settling on top of hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, no words needed. Two people connecting on a far deeper level than words alone could bring. Never again would she think of a hug as just a hug. This was officially her favorite place in the entire world to be.
“Coy?”
She twisted her head so she could see him with the minimal amount of lost contact. She wasn’t ready to leave his arms just yet. It took her a moment to figure out what he was referring too, and she let a giggle escape her lips.
“I see how it is.” He graced her forehead with a brush of his lips. “I was wondering if you would like to alter our plans a little bit.”
“Alter? Color me intrigued.”
“Nothing that great, I assure you.” He placed his head back on hers and she found herself squeezing even tighter then. “I just got back after an emotionally straining few days and—”
“Sure we can do it another time.” The last thing she wanted was to put any additional pressure on him. There was no part of her that thought for even a moment his change of plans was a rejection of her. He was just plain tired; anyone who actually looked at him would see it.
“Did you just interrupt me, naughty girl?”
Her head shook automatically, accompanied by a smirk.
“Good. As I was saying, I’m not up for a fancy dinner tonight. I was thinking we could order in, watch a silly movie, and veg.”
“Is that what kids are calling it these days?” It was, well they called it chill, but same thing. That wasn’t what this invitation was, though, and they both knew it. Not that she would turn down some fun if the mood was right.
“My thoughts were far less nefarious than your gutter mind would lead you to believe, but I may be amenable to your plans as well.” They were still nestled in close. Lacey wondered if the sparkle in his eye came back with his only partially teasing comment.
“Dinner and vegging sounds perfect to me.”
“I’ll be over at seven.”
Lacey snapped back, her arms still partially around him, but her body no longer touching his. He was coming over. Her place was fine for her, but it was not a place she entertained. She had beat up second hand furniture in a fourth floor walkup in a less than desirable part of town.
“Sure.”
He tilted her chin up to face him, her tone most likely giving him cause for concern.
“You … did Mr. Butler tell you where I lived?” If was fine if he wanted to be there, but he really did need to understand what he was walking into. A car like his shouted “steal me” in a neighborhood like hers, and the drug dealers would be bouncing, trying to get a new, very lucrative customer. Heck, with his looks, the hookers would probably break their rule about no johns in the building. He could handle it all, to be sure, but she didn’t want him blindsided.
“No, but I’m sure I can find out. Employee records and all.”
“It’s not in the best part of town and rather … cozy.” Cozy was the least of her worries. The more she thought about it, the more she worried for him, which was crazy because the man could most assuredly take care of himself. She was just being silly, the heaviness weighing on him affecting her more than she realized.
“I like cozy, but if you’re uncomfortable, we can go to my place.” Marcus brushed her cheek with his thumb before trailing it down her neck and arm where he intertwined his fingers with hers. His touch sending a shiver down her spine. “I was just hoping to not be distracted by all of the mail and messages I’m sure are waiting for me there.”
“You haven’t been home yet?” No wonder the man was so beat. He had travelled all day only to arrive directly at work.
“I wanted to see you and give you this.” He tightened their joined hands, his genuine smile reaching his eyes as he pulled out a small wrapped gift from his jacket pocket.
“No choices today?” Lacey liked their game. Having something he’d picked especially for her when they had begun to get to know each other was a thousand times better though.
“No choices.” He gave her a wink. “Or possibly all the choices. You will see.” He leaned forward and she met him halfway in a kiss that was more welcome home than set your world on fire. It was perfect.
“I need to check in with Sally and do a few things. See you sevenish?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She gave him a far too short hug and a quick kiss before heading out. She needed to step lively with her work load if she was going to be able to finish, visit her mom, and be back in time for her date. Date. She was beginning to love that word. As she reached the door handle, she turned to face him and added “And Marcus?”
“Yes?” He was still facing her and her cheeks flushed at the notion that he was checking out her backside as she walked away. He might have been simply too tired to turn and walk back to his desk, but …
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too, Lacey. Me too.”
Chapter 10
“Do you want to open your naughty gift now?”
Lacey was snuggling into Marcus’s side as the credits of a romantic comedy from the eighties ran on her small laptop, propped up on the coffee table. Never once had Marcus make her feel less than because she had no television, only a small dilapidated coffee table and a loveseat for living room furniture, and a neighborhood so bad they had to try five pizza places before someone would deliver.
“Aren’t you tired?” she teased. She was going to have to kick him out soon or offer him her bed because he was barely staying awake as it was. She found it oddly comforting knowing that he was so at ease with her at her crappy place.
“Go get it and your nice one too.”
She popped up and grabbed the nice package from her bag and the naughty one from its perch on her nightstand.
“I have something to admit to you before you open your naughty gift, Lacey.” Marcus situated his body so his back was against the armrest and his front was facing her, his eyes now open, no longer fighting sleep. Heck, maybe the movie was a bad choice, although nothing that had her nestled into his body could be classified as “bad.” “It was the same present every day, just rewrapped. I figured you would eventually get curious and open it, and I really wanted you to have it.”
“I have a confession, too.” She shook the box by her ear, knowing full well she wouldn’t hear a thing since she had already done so more than a few times. “The first day, I thought it was probably coal. You know a joke gift, so I gave it a pass no questions asked.”
“After that first day?” His eyes danced with mischief. Oh yeah, he knew exactly what she thought.
“Once I allowed myself to dream it might be you …” Her face was burning at the confession, but it felt right to share it. “My mind wandered to other realms of potential gifts.” She gave an exaggerated wink as she ran her eyes up and down his body.
“Other realms.” He rubbed his chin as if pondering her intent. “You can’t leave me like that, beautiful. What things crossed your mind?”
“Fine, you asked, and I can’t be held accountable for my mind wanderings.”
“Fair enough.” His eyes drilled into
her. He looked like a predator ready to pounce. Oh goodness, he could pounce on her anytime now. She had been on fire since he walked in, and even while they cuddled and relaxed, there was an undercurrent of lust running through her.
“When it was in the small red paper with the gold bow, I thought it might be a bullet.” She let that one sink in before continuing. “When it was in the green paper with the embossed Christmas trees, I thought it was underwear or some other frilly girl thing.”
Lacey made the rooky mistake of looking down to avoid chickening out on her final confession, catching his growing erection out of the corner of her eye. Well okay then, he was not minding her confession, not one little bit. Her bravery returned enough to meet his eye once again. This one showed her fantasy more than the other two, but she was already jumping in with both feet, so what the hay.
“When it was in the paper covered in holly, I was pretty sure, and you need to promise not to laugh … good enough … I thought it might be a butt plug.”
She could hear his gulp as he shifted, not ashamed of the fact that he was rearranging his package to be more comfortable … and possibly wanting her to see the effect she had on him. Either one worked for her.
“Oh, sweet Lacey, you are going to be very disappointed in this gift, I’m afraid.” He reached out and placed his hand on her knee. It wasn’t caressing her or squeezing her or even wandering up her thigh, yet it still had her heart racing. “Your ideas are infinitely better, and if you had opened the first gift right away, probably would have become reality.” Now she was the one swallowing audibly. “But alas, at first I was just being a good Secret Santa.”
“At first?” He had been a good Secret Santa, period. Too good, for that matter. His gifts were absolutely perfect, each and every one of them.
“That day, I stopped by your desk a few days in and asked you if your Secret Santa was running overtime.” His hand moved up her thigh, ever so slowly, her body responding to his caress.
“Uh huh.” Words were gone. All of them, along with her breath. She was practically panting.
“That was the day I saw that you figured out I was your Secret Santa and you were intrigued. Possibly more than intrigued.” He scooched his body closer as his hand continued its slow ascent. “Excited by it, even.” He pulled his hand from her leg suddenly, and she forced herself to hold in the whimper forming in her throat. She wanted him touching her and now. “It was a very good day.”
“So this is coal?” She held up the box, trying to buy herself enough time to clear the lust filled fog her brain was currently in.
“Hardly,” he scoffed. “Open it.”
She opened the box and, much to her surprise, it was theater tickets. That had never crossed her mind, especially not for a naughty gift.
“Two tickets to the Christmas show matinee on a Wednesday afternoon? How is this naughty?” Marcus, smexy, kind Marcus was not one for the expected.
“Turn it over.”
She obeyed to find the words “A Naughty worker calls in sick when an opportunity like this arises.”
“I love it, not that I would’ve called in sick. I would’ve put in a request for leave. I just can’t call in sick. I have always wanted to see the Christmas show with all the dancers and the live reindeer. It is next week too, so I didn’t miss it. Wow. I should have been naughty earlier.” What was she doing, babbling away? Lacey forced herself to zip her lip before she bored him back to near slumber. She had been fine with him being tired and just resting before, but this conversation changed all that. She wanted this evening to go a little bit longer, and by little bit she meant all night long. She truly was a naughty girl.
“Even with your boss giving you permission?”
She playfully smacked his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t have known that at the time.”
“Touche.” He eyed the nice gift, which she had all but forgotten about.
“Should I open the nice now or should I thank you properly first?” Her voice dripped with her lust, and the way his pupils narrowed, he knew exactly what she was offering.
“If you thank me properly, the chances of the second gift being opened are non-existent.” Did he not understand he had given her more gifts in the past almost two weeks than she had gotten the past five Christmases combined? She was good waiting to open her gift. “I still owe you from the other day, and I never forget a debt. Just putting that out there. As incentive to open this gift on the quicker side.”
She didn’t have to be prodded again. She ripped the package open like a five year old on their birthday. Peeling the lid off the box she was surprised to see a stick drive. Not a fancy one that looked like a cute animal or one that was a necklace. Heck it wasn’t even a keychain one or one with a lot of memory, if the printing on the side was accurate. It was just a random memory stick.
“I don’t get it.” There had to be more to it. He had been far too thoughtful in his gift giving to have a used memory stick be the actual gift.
“It’s a stick drive.” Wise arse.
“I know that, but it is open so I’m guessing you aren’t expanding my memory capabilities.” She quirked her eye. For someone so insistent she open this, he was now taking his time. His eyes, almost showing a lack of confidence, which was so unlike him.
“It’s from Melinda Smithson.” He said it like it was no big deal, but his stiff posture told a different story. “I asked her to do it, so if you are mad at anyone, be mad at me.”
What the heck. She fumbled with it a few times before opening up the folder on her laptop. Each file was labeled with her mom’s name and a legal term. She opened the largest file. It was some sort of court document she couldn’t make heads nor tales of.
“It’s a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo,” she mumbled, more to herself than him. What was it? It had to be important or he wouldn’t be so nervous. But important how?
“It’s a copy of paperwork she wants to file against the pharmaceutical company on your behalf, pro-bono.”
“You mean you are footing the bill?” This was a lot of work to be pro-bono. Not that she wouldn’t accept his help at this point with the idea being she pay him back, but she needed all the cards on the table to process what was going down, for it felt huge.
“No.” He looked almost hurt she questioned his honesty, and she took his hand to give reassurance without words because, frankly, at this point she didn’t have very many. It was all so overwhelming even without completely understanding. “I mean pro-bono in thanks for all of the work she has been getting lately.”
So it actually was because of him, but in a roundabout way. Lacey owed him. Big time.
“What does it all mean?” She had read the opening paragraph five times already and none of the words were sinking in.
“She thinks that on top of whatever you discussed with her about benefits, that she can get a settlement for your mom.”
A settlement. Dare she hope? A settlement could be life altering for both her and her mother, especially if her mother was able to get her back bills paid.
“You have her number if you want to discuss details.”
Lacey nodded, unable to respond just yet. A lawyer, a good one for that matter, was confident enough of her mother’s case that she was willing to do it for free. Not for money later, for free.
“She’s willing to go to trial if need be, but thinks a settlement is best given the length and expenses of trial. Are you mad I went behind your back?”
He must have taken her silence as anger and she was anything but. All of the paperwork she signed that day she met with the lawyer gave pretty much carte blanc permission to the lawyer to talk to anyone about the case. It wasn’t as if she had anything to hide.
“No. Not at all.”
Silence filled the air. She wanted to jump up and call the lawyer now, but that was a crazy notion. It was a Friday night, almost Saturday morning. She wanted all the answers. They would have to wait. They could wait, she tried to convince her
self. This wasn’t like the doctor trying to change treatments; this was a legal component that was going to take a dog’s age no matter what.
“Tell me, what are you thinking?” Marcus tipped her chin so she was looking directly at him instead of down at the floor.
“I’m thinking you really did give me all the choices.” He gave her a subtle nod allowing her to figure out what else she wanted to say. She appreciated it, for it took her nearly a full minute to collect the rest of her thoughts. “I’ve never had that before and it is overwhelming. I will call her Monday and arrange to figure all of this out.”
He enveloped her in a hug, and she lavished in it, enjoying the moment. Things had the potential to change so drastically for both she and her mother. Things were finally starting to look up, and she was going to embrace the joy.
Chapter 11
“What would you like to do now?”
Lacey knew he was asking if she wanted him to leave so she could try to cull through the documents or if she wanted to watch another movie, but her body had very different ideas. She leaned in, close to his ear and breathed out the words, in barely a whisper. “You said you had a debt to pay?”
“That I do, beautiful. That I do.”
His hand reached behind her head, guiding her until their lips collided. He was taking control and, goodness help her, she loved it. It had been days since their first and only naughty fun, and she was ready for all he had to give. As his lips moved over hers, she found herself climbing onto his lap, his very swollen cock pressing against her.
Not once did she worry about her weight or mushing him. Her need was too deep to worry about any of that. His hands journeyed down her back before cupping her ass and pulling her close, the sensation causing her to gasp, a nonverbal invitation he greedily accepted.
They were dancing an erotic dance of lips. Teeth. Tongues. A dance she never wanted to end. His hands still settled on her ass, he pulled her closer and closer as her arms made their way up his to his sculpted biceps. How had she never noticed how muscular and strong his arms truly were? She was going to need to get to that chest and quickly. Her hands made their way to his top button, which was already opened, and she caressed the skin there lightly before making her way to the second button, immediately removing it of its duty.