In Love With Lucy

by C. C. Wood

  His light blue eyes were intent as he studied me. Finally, he spoke, “There are several things in that little monologue I would like to discuss. First of all, I was angry because you disappeared in the middle of the night and didn’t answer your phone this morning when I called. I think you’ll have to agree that my concern was legitimate.” I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn’t interrupt. “Secondly, if you were so uncomfortable with the idea of staying with me last night, why did you agree to it?” He lifted a hand to stop me when I opened my mouth. “And, lastly, if you wanted space between us, why not be upfront about it? If you want a fuck buddy, I’m happy to comply.”

  By the end of his little speech, I was scowling fiercely. “Are you done?” I asked bluntly.

  He nodded.

  “In response to your first question, as a grown woman, I’m entitled to change my mind at any time. I don’t need to justify my actions to you. Also, your history with women led me to believe that you had the same expectations as I do.” The expression on Chris’ face was enough to shut me up.

  He looked furious. I was saved from whatever he was about to say by the buzz of the kitchen timer. I busied myself with the lasagna, refusing to look at him. I was about to reach into the freezer for the garlic bread, when a firm hand circled my wrist. I gasped as Chris whirled me around. The freezer door slammed shut as I gawked at him, my mouth hanging open.

  “What is your problem?” I snapped, trying to jerk my wrist out of his grip.

  Chris held tight to my arm, pulling it securely behind my back and pressing me against the refrigerator. I shoved at him with my other hand, trying to get him to back away. This was a side of Chris I didn’t know existed. He radiated aggression. The realization hit me hard and fast that a man like Chris Barden didn’t get ahead in business just because he had a mind as sharp as a blade. This man was a conqueror. He was driven to best every challenge, win every battle. While he projected cool, collected authority, there was a warrior beneath the surface and I’d just managed to royally piss him off.

  He grasped my other arm and pulled it behind my back, holding both my wrists with one hand. Then he wrapped his other around my ponytail and tugged firmly. It didn’t hurt but it did get my attention and I stilled.

  “I don’t appreciate you throwing my previous relationships in my face,” he said in a low, furious voice. “I understand that you are more aware of my history than others, but everyone has a past. It’s hypocritical to hold that against me.”

  Damn, why did he have to have a valid point?

  I sighed. “You’re right.”

  It was Chris’ turn to look surprised. “I’m sorry, what?”

  I grimaced. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have thrown your past in your face.”

  I sucked in a deep breath, suddenly very aware of his body pressing against mine. Still, I tried to ignore the tingles spreading throughout my abdomen and focus on what I wanted to say. This entire situation was confusing as hell and I needed clarification.

  Before I could ask him the questions crowding my brain, Chris was speaking. “And I would like you to explain to me what your expectations are before I agree or disagree to your terms.”

  There was a gleam in his eyes that I did not like.

  “Look, Chris, I’m not looking for anything serious. My career is finally taking off and I don’t need any distractions.”

  Even to me, my words didn’t sound convincing. Probably because I was trapped between Chris and the fridge, unable to move and very turned on. My pulse began to pound in my neck. He had my body completely at his mercy.

  Suddenly, a devious smile spread across his face. My heart accelerated even more. Dear God, the man was diabolical. I’d witnessed his analytical brain in action more than once and knew that he only grinned like that when he was enjoying the challenge.

  He dipped his head and nipped my bottom lip before running the tip of his tongue over the sting. “Are you sure you don’t want any distractions? I can think of a few that would be a lot of fun.”

  I shivered in his embrace. “Chris, I’m serious.”

  “No, you’re not,” he said, his eyes intense. “You’re scared shitless. I can see it, even if you won’t admit it. That’s why you left last night.”

  I felt my face redden at his words, each one like an arrow to my soul, and his aim was true. I tried to twist out of his grasp, thrashing in his arms. “Let me go.”

  His grip on my ponytail tightened and he wrapped it completely around his hand until I could no longer turn my head. “No.”

  His mouth came down on mine, voracious and insistent. I tried to pull away, keeping my lips closed tightly. Completely undeterred, his teeth nipped along my jaw and to my ear. The small pain sliced through me, making my nipples stand at attention. My knees collapsed beneath me and Chris adjusted his grip, releasing my wrists and grabbing my hips.

  With an easy strength that made my stomach flip over, he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. This time, when his lips returned to mine, I kissed him back, sucking his tongue into my mouth. My head whirled as he carried me toward the bedroom.

  A few seconds later he dropped me on the bed and I pushed up onto my elbows to watch as he began to unbutton his shirt, stripping it from his body. I stared at his naked torso, mesmerized by the play of muscles beneath his skin. He unbuckled his belt, lowered his zipper, and let his pants drop to the floor. His thumbs tucked into the waistband of his briefs and two seconds later, he was gloriously naked.

  My mouth went dry as he stepped toward me, his hands going to the hem of my t-shirt. My body jerked as he whipped it over my head and opened my jeans, yanking them down my legs, which left me clad only in my underwear.

  His hands traced over my stomach, toying with the edge of my panties. “Let’s see how thoroughly I can distract you.”

  Then he ripped the thin, lacy panties from my body.

  I gasped as he lunged upward so that he was stretched out over me. One of his hands moved behind me and my bra loosened before he stripped that from me as well. Using one knee, he spread my thighs, lowering his hips between them. I gasped again as the length of his rigid erection slid along my clit.

  Chris used a hand between my shoulder blades to arch my back, causing my breasts to thrust upwards. His mouth closed around one of my nipples, sucking hard and deep. I cried out, burying my fingers in his hair. As he sucked and nipped at my breast, he stroked my clit with his cock.

  I quivered beneath him, feeling my body grow tighter as the pleasure intensified. I felt the head of his dick pressing against me, pushing slightly into my body and stiffened.

  “Condom,” I panted.

  Chris cursed and started to move off of me.

  I flung my arm out toward my nightstand. “There’s some in the drawer.” I’d bought a box earlier that night when I went to the store to buy the ingredients for dinner.

  He reached out and yanked open the drawer to the nightstand. Pulling the box out, he ripped it open and several packages spilled out onto the bed. I watched as he caught the edge of the wrapper between his teeth.

  Seconds later, he rolled the condom down his cock and slid inside me. My hips lifted at the first stroke. After that, it was a fast and rough ride. Chris pounded into me, thrusting deep and hard, his hips slamming into mine. He had come completely undone and it was amazing.

  I lifted my knees, moaning at the pleasurable pain of his uncontrolled strokes. He used his thumb to press and roll my clit as he changed the angle of his movements. I was already on the edge of an orgasm when the change in his thrusts combined with the circling of his thumb pushed me past the point of no return.

  I threw my head back and cried out as my pussy spasmed and twitched around his cock. Moments later, he shuddered, reaching his own climax. We both remained where we were, breathing hard, staring at each other without a word.

  When he finally withdrew from my body, I shivered at the sensation of his semi-erect cock dragging over my nerve endings
. I watched as he walked into my bathroom before turning over onto my side, my back to the door, and wrapped my arms around my middle. Now that the hunger between us had been momentarily satiated, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. In fact, I was thoroughly confused.

  I heard water run and shut off then the soft sound of his footsteps as he padded back into the bedroom. I tried not to recoil as he curled around me from behind, sliding his hand over my ribcage to lace his fingers with mine in front of my abdomen. I didn’t do a very good job because he squeezed me slightly.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked quietly.

  He’d asked me the same thing yesterday. “No,” I answered, my voice just as soft.

  “Then why did you flinch when I touched you?”

  I closed my eyes tightly. The answer to that question was complicated and more than I wanted to share.

  So, I lied. Again. “I’m ticklish and you ran your hand along my ribs.”

  He squeezed my hand gently. If he didn’t believe me, he understood that he should let it go anyway.

  We lay cuddled on my bed for a while, not speaking, as I wondered if I would ever be able to rebuild the walls around my heart. Somehow, Chris had managed to destroy four years’ worth of defenses in two days and I didn’t know how I would ever be able to go back to the solitary existence I had before. The thought of busy days and long lonely nights no longer seemed desirable.

  Chapter Eleven

  Of course, Chris spent the night and I enjoyed every minute of it. Not just the naked fun that involved inserting Tab A into Slot B, but also him spooning me or holding me close with my head resting on his chest. He woke me at 5 a.m. and made love to me. That was the only way to describe it. There was no rush to climax, but tenderness, gentle touches, and kisses that made my heart ache before a long, luxurious orgasm made my toes curl.

  Then he got up, dressed, and left after saying he would see me later at work. I laid there in bed, staring up at my ceiling, wondering what in the hell I would do now. Despite my best intentions, the harmless fling I planned to have with Chris had become something much deeper and dangerous to the health of my heart.

  I gave up pretending to sleep at six-thirty, crawled out of bed, and made myself a cup of coffee. I showered, dressed in a black turtleneck and slacks. I left my hair down and applied light make-up.

  When I entered the office at ten to eight, Chris was seated at his desk. He smiled slightly at me, but didn’t say or do anything differently than he did on a typical day. I didn’t know why, but that annoyed me. After such a fantastic night together, how could he seem so unaffected?

  I tried not to let my grumpiness show as I brewed the coffee and carried a cup into Chris’ office. His facade slipped when I placed the mug on his desk. He took my hand before I could withdraw and pressed a small kiss to my palm. My knees shook slightly when his lips touched my skin and his light blue eyes met mine, warm and genuine.

  “Thank you,” he murmured as he released my wrist and reached for his coffee. “You look very pretty today.”

  “Thank you.”

  Unsure of what else to do or say, I chose to escape back to my office. I looked at his schedule for the day and realized I had forgotten that today he was interviewing applicants to replace me. Immediately, my mood improved. While the idea of not seeing Chris every day made my chest feel tight, the interview process should prove to be entertaining. Since he had a reputation in the business world for being a tough negotiator and an employer with almost impossibly high expectations, it was interesting to see the people who applied. I was highly amused by the calamity that ensued last year when Chris hired our receptionist.

  Usually it was fresh-faced college graduates who thought they would get on the fast-track to advancement if they could handle Barden the Beast. They typically left in tears. Then, there were those who figured he was desperate enough to take what he could get. Chris usually sent them packing within the first five minutes of the interview. Finally, there were candidates like myself, who were actually somewhat qualified but ignorant of his reputation.

  I went through the files, organizing them according to interview time when I noticed that Chelsea’s name was on one of the folders. I grinned. Chelsea Archer didn’t back down from a challenge and neither did Chris Barden. It would be interesting to see who would win that battle of wills if they went head-to-head.

  I found myself thoroughly entertained by the first two candidates, both young men about to graduate from business school. They both left with their tails between their legs. The third candidate made my skin crawl. She was a tall, curvaceous, blonde, and absolutely stunning. She smiled serenely at me when she introduced herself, but I could see her bright green eyes sizing me up and finding me lacking.

  I barely refrained from rolling my eyes and snorting at her obvious attempts to make me feel insecure. While I might not have the same assets as MBA Barbie, but I was happy with what I had to work with and there were definitely. I never understood some women’s need to try and make others feel inferior.

  I grinned at her back as she swayed into Chris’ office.

  Fifteen minutes later, I wasn’t grinning. She’d been in there longer than the other two candidates and I could hear both of them laughing. Laughing. Ten minutes later, his office door opened and he escorted her out.

  She gave me a smug smile, raising a superior eyebrow at me. I crammed all my resentment down and smiled sweetly at her.

  “You have a nice day now, ya hear?” I drawled, unable to resist goading her.

  Her triumphant expression slipped for a moment, but she continued out of the office. I frowned at the blotter on my desk. I managed to school my features and glance up at Chris to find him watching me closely.

  “Should I call and cancel your other appointments?” I asked brightly. “You two seemed to have hit it off.”

  For a moment I thought I saw a fleeting expression of amusement cross his face, before he sighed. “Don’t cancel the interviews. Vonda is a nice woman, but I think she’s more interested in husband hunting than working as an administrative assistant.”

  I felt the sharp claws of jealousy dig into my back, scraping and scratching hard enough to make me grind my teeth. I had no right to be angry that she flirted with him or that he may have flirted back, but I was. The fury was like a red veil over my eyes.

  Instead of shooting out of my chair and stomping out the door as I wanted to do, I merely nodded. “Okay, well, your next appointment is with Chelsea Archer in fifteen minutes.”

  Chris was still watching me, but I pasted a smile on my face.

  “She currently works in this building, right?”

  I nodded.

  “I think I’ve seen the two of you eating lunch together several times.”

  I glared at him. I know he’d seen me eating with her and my other three friends often. We lunched together almost every day.

  “Let me know when she arrives and perhaps we can start her interview early.”

  I scowled at his back as he walked back into his office. Less than ten seconds later, there was a light knock on the door jamb between the reception area and my office. I looked up to see Chelsea poking her head through the door, her strawberry blond curls in a riot around her pretty face.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” she asked.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “He’s ready to see you if you’re good to go.”

  She grinned broadly. “Sure.”

  I led her into Chris’ office, made introductions, then left, shutting the door behind me. I tried to work at my desk, but caught myself straining to hear what they were saying to each other through the door.

  Twenty minutes later, the door opened and Chris led Chelsea out of his office, smiling at her. Not his polite smile, but a genuine, warm smile. My friend was giggling. Actually, giggling like a schoolgirl. Chelsea may have looked as though she were an innocent, sweet person, but her personality was fiery and her tongue was sharp. I’d witnessed her reduce grown men to tears w
hen they tried her patience, which she did not possess in excess.

  Chris went back into his office, shutting the door behind him, and Chelsea actually skipped to my desk.

  “I got the job!”

  I smiled at her, genuinely happy for my friend. She hated her current job. Her boss was a complete dick. He piled his work on top of hers, took all the credit, and then criticized her constantly. I knew the only reason she hadn’t cut him off at the knees was because she desperately needed her job. Like me, she had student loans to pay when she graduated and a desire to eat more than once a day. While my loans were paid for, her wages were peanuts by comparison and it was taking her much longer to reach her financial goals. If Chris paid her as well as he paid me, she would be able to improve her quality of life immediately.

  “I’m glad.”

  She glanced at Chris’ closed door and leaned closer. “You always talk about him like he’s this intimidating, cold man. He seems pretty nice, Luce. I mean, sure, he has extremely high expectations, but he seems pretty fair.”

  I wanted to grimace at her over the dreamy-eyed expression on her face, but also had to suppress a smile. She had no clue. Still, she would find out soon enough. While I didn’t think Chris would be verbally abusive like her current boss, I’d been on the receiving end of his cold, disappointed stare and bland, mocking voice on more than one occasion. I couldn’t wait for the first time. I could already imagine the angry phone tirade I would be treated to when he spoke to her like that. I also had a pretty good idea what she would say in return.

  I knew without a doubt that Chelsea would do a wonderful job, probably even better than me, but Chris was in for a shock if he thought I was the outspoken one in the group. Then again, she might keep her trap shut until she was sure if she could get away with the back talk. He was going to have his hands full with her.

  “We have to celebrate.”

  I nodded. “I’ll text the girls. Wanna meet at Tully’s for happy hour?”