by Serena Grey
I get up and shake her hand. “May I ask why I got this invitation,” I ask, not wanting to leave without clearing that up at least. “It’s been two years since I applied.”
She looks surprised, as though she thought I would know. “We reviewed your application and decided you’d be a good fit,” she says.
I frown, knowing how unlikely that was. “Okay.”
She starts to pack up her things, leaving me no choice but to do the same. On my way back to my office, I decide to stop wondering and allow myself to feel good about the fact that I might just get the job I’ve always wanted.
As soon as I get back to the office, Landon calls.
“How did it go?”
“Good. I think I have a good chance.”
“You are great at what you do,” he says encouragingly. “I’m sure they can see that. And if they don’t, I’ll have to buy the whole company and make you the publisher.”
“Ha Ha,” I laugh softly. “The entire Gilt Publications! I doubt they’d let you buy it, and I don’t want to be the boss. I just want to read stories for a living.”
“I envy you,” he says. “So, when will you be done over there?”
“In about an hour.”
“Good. Joe will be on his way to pick you up. He’ll bring you to the office. Is that okay? Or do you want to go to the apartment?”
“No, I’ll come over.” I’m so eager to see him that the thought of waiting alone in the apartment is not appealing.
“Good then.” He pauses. “I should go now, and try to get some work done, finally.”
I laugh. “What have you been doing all day?”
“I’ve been thinking about your body and what I’d like to do with it. It’s been like an erotic movie playing in my head all day. Very distracting.”
A long sigh escapes me. I feel the same way, hot and bothered… it had been two weeks, after all.
“Can’t you think of dead leaves or something,” I joke weakly.
“I doubt that will work,” Landon says. “Wait…I’m picturing dead leaves right now. Ah!… no. Didn’t work. I still have a hard-on.”
My imagination goes into overdrive. The thought of him, hard, in my hands, in my mouth… it fills me with a fierce, uncontrollable lust. “You’re distracting me,” I complain. “How am I supposed to work?”
“Good thing you were about to leave.”
“I said in an hour. I’m not leaving now. I have work to do. I’m very busy and important, and in very high demand.”
“Yes, you are.” I’m sure he’s smiling. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I reply with a sigh. No matter how many times he says those words, the novelty, the beauty of hearing them from him will never go away.
“Now, I’m going to force myself to study a contract for the next hour. I’ll see you soon.”
It takes some effort to go back to my work after that, but I do my best. However, all I can think about is the many things I know Landon is going to do to my body later.
JOE is waiting for me when I get downstairs. Taciturn as usual, he drives me over to the SCT building, Landon’s downtown high-rise. As I take the steps up to the entrance, my body is filled with anticipation. In the lobby, the security at the front desk hands me a visitor badge to enable me cross the turnstiles and waves me toward the elevators.
On Landon’s floor, the receptionist presses a button to open the glass security doors for me, before giving me a small polite smile.
“Do you know the way?” she asks.
“Yes, thank you.”
My mind goes briefly to the last time I was here, and I can’t prevent a smile at the memories. I’d been struggling then, intent on making sure I didn’t give in to my attraction to Landon, and now here I am, in love with him, and the best part is that he feels the same way.
Tony Gillies meets me at the outer office. He’s Landon’s assistant, or senior assistant, as there are at least two others on the team. “Great to see you,” he says with a grin.
“Hello, Tony.” The last time I saw him he was running around trying to make sure the opening of the Gold Dust Hotel went smoothly. He looks less stressed now. The other desks in the office are empty, and I assume the others have closed for the day. Tony motions for me to go straight into Landon’s office before going back to his seat.
I take a deep breath as I approach the opaque glass doors, anticipation making me nervous. Inside, Landon is seated at his desk. He’s not wearing his jacket, only a dark gray shirt that somehow sets off the burnished gold in his hair. He looks up when I enter, his face lighting up with a smile as he rises to his feet.
“Hello.” His eyes rove over me, obvious hunger in their blue depths.
I round the desk, walking eagerly into his ready arms. They go around me, and I rest my head on his chest, inhaling his scent, filling all my senses with him. “Hey, Handsome.”
He steps back to study me, a small smile on his lips. “Have I told you how sexy you look in office clothes?” He runs a hand down the front of my blouse. “You should come work here. As anything you like, just so I can look at you all day.”
“Very empowering,” I reply, quivering at his touch. “You’re obviously plotting my expulsion from the women’s movement.’
A ringing phone interrupts the beautiful and carefree sound of his laughter, and he reaches for one of the desk phones, motioning for me to sit in his chair. “I need to take this,” he tells me, sounding apologetic.
I shrug my permission, and he leans his hip on the desk, his eyes on me while he talks to whoever’s on the other end. I place my bag on his desk, and then, holding his gaze with a teasing look in my eyes, I drop to my knees in front of him.
The slight stammer in his voice when I start to undo his zipper makes me look up at him with a smile. He recovers quickly, continuing his conversation while I pull down his briefs. He’s already hard, growing harder as I enclose him with my fist.
His skin is warm and satiny smooth. Silk pulled tight over hard steel. I stroke him up and down, loving the feel of him in my hand. Leaning forward, I cover the tip of his cock with my lips, flicking my tongue around the broad head. He’s still talking, his voice steady. I meet his eyes and feel his hip muscles tense. He covers the receiver. “Don’t stop,” he whispers.
As if I would! I pull him deep into my mouth, till he’s touching the back of my throat, then I draw my tongue along the underside of his cock, before moving my lips back up to surround his tip. When I look up at him again, his hand is clenched around the receiver, with the other hand curled around the edge of the desk, his knuckles almost white.
I release him from my mouth, licking my lips as I stroke him up and down, using the moisture from my mouth and the pre-cum seeping out of him to rub him from the root to the tip.
Landon holds the receiver away from his face and throws his head back, a soft moan escaping his lips. His cock is hard and pulsing against my hand, his look of helplessness and stark arousal contrasting with his unmistakable masculine strength.
He moans again, and I revel in the heady feeling of power the sound gives me. I stroke him harder and faster, watching as he brings the receiver back to his ear and starts to talk again. I hear the tinny sound as the person on the other end responds, and I take him back in my mouth, watching his tortured frown as he concentrates on maintaining the conversation. I suck him deep, and then start to move my head, faster and faster, hollowing my cheeks, tightening my lips around him. The hand on the desk reaches into my hair, the fingers tangling into the strands. I cup his balls, stroking them softly without reducing my pace.
“Ensure that you get back to me,” I hear him bite into the phone, his voice curt and dismissive. I imagine the hapless person on the other end thinking that he’s done something to annoy the boss. “Tomorrow at the latest.”
He doesn’t wait for the person to say anything else. He hastily puts down the receiver and lets out a long, heavy groan.
“Ah... fuck!�
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I keep my pace. A soft moan escapes me when his fingers tighten in my hair, holding my head in place while he flexes his hips, driving back and forth into my mouth, the underside of his cock sliding against my tongue and bottom lip.
“Fuck,” he moans. “Fuck! Rachel.”
I stroke his thighs, feeling the muscles bunch and tighten.
“So good,” he groans harshly. “So fucking good.”
I moan in reply, sucking and licking him while raising my eyes to his. He lets out another harsh groan, his hips jerking as he reaches his release, coming with a burst of warmth inside my mouth.
He’s shaking. His hand leaves my hair, smoothing it gently before he leans back on the desk. “Oh my God!” he breathes.
I suck in my bottom lip, still tasting him. Getting back on my feet, I take the chair he offered me earlier. “What can I say?” I tease, “I missed you very much.”
He expels a deep breath, dragging his hands through his hair as he blinks at me. “I’m overwhelmed. Give me a minute to gather my mental faculties.”
“Overwhelmed?” I grin playfully. “I guess I’m good like that.”
Landon’s eyes narrow, and he drops down to his knees in front of me. “Guess what,” he whispers softly. “So am I.”
I breathe in anticipation, watching him as he reaches for the buttons of my blouse. “I want you naked,” he murmurs. “I want to see your beautiful body.” He undoes the buttons one by one then pushes the front of the blouse apart. My bra fastens in front, and Landon’s lips curve as he undoes the hooks, freeing my breasts.
My nipples peak under the intense consideration of his eyes, extending even further when he flicks his thumbs over the sensitive peaks.
“I missed these,” he murmurs, squeezing a nipple between the thumbs and forefingers of each hand. “You have such beautiful breasts.”
The combination of his voice and his touch is so sexy, I let out a small moan, and he chuckles, leaving my nipples to unfasten my skirt and pull it down, along with my panties. He spreads my legs over the arms of the chair so I’m totally exposed, open to his gaze.
I’m already so aroused from watching him come, that my body is eager, wet, pulsing, and he can tell.
Landon draws a finger from my navel down between my legs, and then rubs me gently, spreading the wetness across my folds, from my swollen clit down to my wet opening. He strokes the pulsing entrance to my body, making me moan his name as pleasure courses through me. When he slides two hooked fingers inside me, my body clenches around them, tightening with desire as he starts to move them in and out. He’s watching my face as the sensations build, and I groan, rolling my hips when he finds the clump of sensitive nerves inside me and starts to stroke it in slow, sweet circles.
The feeling of arousal is intense, and all the muscles in my body strain harshly as his touch brings me closer and closer to orgasm. My hips move in time with his fingers, wanting to feel more.
“Landon,” I moan.
“What?” His voice is soft and husky. Pure sex and unrelenting temptation.
“Ah…” I moan again, incapable of coherent thought, of forming sentences. Still stroking me inside, he lowers his lips to my clit, nuzzling then flicking his tongue across the sensitive bud. I respond with a soft cry, the sweetness of his touch taking over my senses. His tongue continues to move, fast, yet light and teasing, pulling my pleasure out of the deepest parts of my body.
I almost tip the chair over when I come, my hips buck uncontrollably, and my cries are loud and abandoned as my body pulses with the force of my climax. I watch Landon rise to his feet with glazed eyes, almost uncomprehending as he lifts me from the chair and places me on the desk, my legs still spread. He stands between them, his beautiful cock fisted in his hand one moment, then in the next, he’s sliding it deep inside me.
I release a long moan as he fills me, stretching me tight. I’ve missed this feeling, so much. My hips move restlessly, wanting more, and Landon is happy to oblige.
He leans his hands on the desk, his body curved over mine as he starts to pump into me, each firm thrust of his hips building the massive sensations taking over my body. His lips cover one of my nipples, sucking deeply on the erect bud even as he drives me to madness with the sweet strokes of his cock. I run my hands over his chest, crying out in sexual abandon. The sound of my moans fill the office as I meet his every stroke with an uninhibited thrust of my hips, far past the point of wanting anything but him, deeper inside me, giving me the pleasure only he can.
We come at the same time, our wild cries of pleasure merging and blending until I can’t tell which sound is him and which is me. I fall back on the desk, hands stretched over my head, my body spread out like a willing sacrifice. I don’t care. My breath is coming in short gasps, there’s a sheen of sweat on my skin, and as he pulls out of me, a sound like a purr escapes my lips, my body shuddering with the aftershock of purest pleasure.
Landon collapses on his chair, making no attempt to fix his clothes. He rests his head on my still-trembling thighs, breathing deeply. “I think I like my desk with you on it, naked.”
I manage a laugh. “Please don’t joke. I can’t respond right now. I’m recovering from a celestial event.”
His laughter makes me feel warm inside. “Yeah, me too.”
AFTER we’ve fixed our clothes, we go up to the apartment he keeps above the office. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here, the first time we made love in his office. It’s still as stark as I remember, an enormous difference from the larger and better decorated Swanson Court Hotel apartment.
Landon shows me to the master bedroom. It’s a large room, spotlessly clean, but as Spartan as the rest of the apartment. I can totally see him, tired from work, coming up here just to crash and get ready for another workday.
“What do you do here when you’re not asleep?” I ask, looking at the bare walls.
He spares a glance around the room and shrugs. “Sometimes I continue working. It’s just an office with a bed, mostly.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
Landon points me in the direction of the bathroom, and while I freshen up, he selects a change of clothes from the sparsely populated closet.
Later, while I’m sitting on a corner of the soft bed waiting for him to change, a part of my mind starts to wonder if he has brought any other women here. In my mind’s eye, I see Ava Sinclair’s face from that night in San Francisco at the opening of the Gold Dust, her beautiful lips curved in a smirk, and I wonder if she was ever here, or at the Swanson Court apartment. It doesn’t matter, I tell myself, pushing the jealous thoughts from my head. I’m the one Landon is in love with.
“What are you thinking?” He’s standing at the door to the walk-in closet, wearing a beige V-neck sweater over a white shirt, with dark pants that display the slim length of his legs. He looks casual and sexy, and I want to put my arms around him, and somehow, I don’t know how, join myself to him in a way that no one would ever be able to pull us apart.
“Nothing,” I reply.
He raises an eyebrow, and I sigh. “I was just… I was being silly, imagining you here with other women.”
When Landon doesn’t reply, I look up to meet his gaze, a shamefaced expression on mine, but he is smiling, and he comes to join me on the bed. “I don’t think that’s silly. I’d like for you to forget every single person who came before me as well.”
I snort. Already forgotten, I say silently, and as if he knows what I’m thinking, he laughs. “For your information, no women here, ever. After my father died, I went through this period when I didn’t want anything to do with the Swanson Court, I left home, got my own apartment… Somehow it’s always made more sense to entertain my women friends there.”
I understood why. He’d grown up at the Swanson Court apartment. It still held memories for him, and it might not have seemed right to share those memories with the many women he’d dated casually through the years.
But he’d sh
ared them with me.
“Do you still have it?” I ask softly. “The apartment.”
He shakes his head. “I sold it a few months ago. I knew I wouldn’t need it anymore.”
A few months ago. Long before I told him how I felt. His hand is on my lap, and I cover it with mine, sure, at that moment, that there is no reason to fear that anything would ever go wrong between us.
“In any case,” Landon continues. “I’m planning to sell this place soon. I don’t intend to spend as much time in the office as before, and it can serve a better purpose as part of the residential complex.”
The SCT building was a mix of commercial office space and residential apartments, so this apartment could easily be added to the residential side. I study Landon’s face, wondering what he means. Is he planning to spend more time with me, or is he going to be traveling more? I hope fervently that it’s the former.
My stomach growls unexpectedly, reminding me that I’m hungry. Landon gives me a teasing grin. “I’ve already ordered dinner,” he says, getting up and pulling me to my feet. The bell from the service elevator rings just as we enter the living room and Landon lets the person from the gourmet food-delivery service into the apartment.
The man makes a big deal out of laying out the food in the small dining room, and I’m relieved when he finally leaves. Dinner is playful and sensual. Landon feeds me, and I love the way his eyes glaze over when I lick my lips slowly, my eyes on his.
“You’re such a tease,” he tells me.
“You love it,” I reply.
He laughs. “I love you.”
I melt right there. I can’t help it. “I love you too.”
He’s grinning. “I know.”
Afterward, we put away the dishes and go back to the living room. There isn’t much in the way of entertainment, a TV and a game console with access to a few subscription channels. I’m not really in the mood to do anything other than snuggle beside Landon on the couch, my body as close to him as possible, my head on his chest.