What Lola Wants

by Calista Fox

  “Think about it,” Sarah said as they left the restaurant. “It’s a killer idea.”

  Lola didn’t want to let them down—and she didn’t want to write herself out of their clique. But sauntering across someone’s computer screen didn’t exactly sit right with her. Staci was fearless. In many respects, so was Lola. She just wasn’t okay with being on public display, so to speak. She knew better. And worried it would undermine the professional headway she was making when it came to getting people to see her for who she really was, rather than who they wanted to peg her for—Marilyn/Barbie-style.

  * * *

  Close to five o’clock, she texted Alex to say she’d bring home Chinese takeout. She came through the door after six and dropped off her oversized tote, then placed the plastic bags she carried on the counter. Alex sat at the kitchen table, working on his laptop.

  “Taxes?” she ventured.

  “Just finished them.” He closed the computer’s top and pushed it to the side.

  Lola eyed him a moment, finding him damn tempting in nothing but a pair of gray drawstring pants. He was seriously hot, with his chiseled muscles and smooth, tanned skin. His hair was a bit mussed, as though he’d run a hand through it a few times while doing his accounting. She liked it.

  And wanted to get naked with him again.

  “Mind if I get comfortable?”

  His appreciative gaze slid over her, unabashedly landing on her breasts. “Have at it.”

  Lola unbuttoned her suit jacket and stripped it off. Then she peeled away the silk shell and reached for the zipper at the back of her skirt. Her gaze never left Alex’s, even as she shimmied out of the skirt, bending at the waist and sliding the material downward before stepping out of it and straightening.

  Heat flashed in his peridot eyes. Lola’s confidence grew.

  She draped the clothes over the back of a bar stool. Then, wearing nothing but her black lace demi-bra and matching thong, along with her four-inch, olive-colored Staci Kay snakeskin stilettos, she pulled out a box from one of the bags and set it in front of Alex, leaning over the table to give him another primo view of her cleavage.

  “House lo mein for you,” she said with a sultry lilt in her voice. She lingered a few moments, letting him absorb the visual she presented. Then she retrieved another box. “Mongolian beef for me, extra spicy.” She continued doling out the food. “Steamed rice and egg rolls. Sweet-and-sour sauce for you, hot mustard for me.” She handed over a pair of chopsticks, then said, “I even brought wine. J. Lohr cab.”

  “Hand over the bottle,” he commanded.

  Her nipples tightened behind her lacy bra. She loved his take-charge attitude. Where it’d come from, she had no idea, but it scorched her insides. She did as instructed.

  He said, “Why don’t you grab the wine pull for me and some glasses.”

  Lola turned away and collected the items he’d requested. She threw a glance over her shoulder to ask him if he wanted the aerator and found his gaze on her. Staring blatantly at her ass.

  “Alex,” she playfully chided.

  “What?” he countered. “I’ve spent my entire life staring into your eyes—and they’re beautiful, Lo. But I’m entitled to admire the rest of your assets, right?”

  She faced him, and his gaze fell on her chest once more.

  He added, “You are insanely gorgeous.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy grin. “A huge turn-on.”

  Lola set the wares on the table, and he uncorked the wine. She debated what she really wanted to say about his comment and how his eyes smoldered when he took her in from head to toe, but she wasn’t sure how healthy it’d be for either of them if she were completely honest. On the other hand, hiding the truth from Alex wasn’t exactly in her DNA.

  She said, “Since junior year, I’ve vacillated between being flattered by the attention I receive and annoyed by it. I never really reconciled it all in my mind, but I guess now I realize it comes down to wanting to be respected for the brain I have, and knowing I’m not going to avoid scrutiny. When you look at me, though… I don’t know, Alex.” She shook her head, because this was a very complex subject to dissect. “It doesn’t bother me at all. I mean, I like that you want to look at me and I like the way you do it. Does that make me a hypocrite? Some sort of tease?”

  “Why?” he demanded in a quiet voice. “Because you try to be you, and sometimes it attracts attention you don’t want, based on how you look? What are you supposed to do, Lo? Wear baggy clothes and put your hair in a tight bun?” He let out a strained laugh. “Jesus, you’d still be beautiful, so what would be the point?”

  Emotion swelled in her throat. Tears suddenly burned the backs of her eyes. “Alex.” She gazed at him a moment, seeing the crystal-clear honesty in his expression. “That’s about the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “Lo, you’re—” He groaned in apparent frustration. “There really aren’t words for… everything about you.”

  She reached for the glass he’d poured and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Thank you. Coming from you, that’s really saying something. Considering all the brainiacs you’ve always hung out with and—”

  “Lo, don’t ever doubt that I think you’re smart. And I’m proud of you for getting a promotion into the department you want. Beyond that, I’m saying you’re… stunning.”

  Her breath caught. Hearing this from Alex had such a different effect on her than anything she was used to. It wasn’t the same as some stranger sizing her up and all but smacking his lips as he ogled her. Or giving her some ridiculous line about how heaven was short one angel. Really?

  This was tried-and-true Alex, and she suddenly realized she felt more comfortable—especially when wearing nothing but lingerie and high heels—in his presence than with any other man.

  Did that spell disaster for her? Alex was playing along with the FWB. Clearly getting something out of it himself. But since she’d arrived at his apartment, Lola had been feeling a peculiar pull…

  The allure of hot sex with Alex was one thing. Yet even when they weren’t going at it like bunnies, she was drowning in bliss. Every moment with him was perfect. Provocative. Poignant. On a grand and profound level she wasn’t familiar with, and which scared her a bit. But which also tempted her. Excited her.

  She was clever enough to know she was stepping closer to a flame than she should. Did that keep her from wanting Alex?

  No.

  Not in the least.

  She sipped from her glass, then left it on the counter. She returned to the table and opened the box of egg rolls. After dipping one end into the sweet-and-sour sauce, she rounded the corner and straddled Alex’s lap. She offered him a bite and he took it. Twisting slightly, she dropped the egg roll back in its container and then wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck.

  “One of the best things about Chinese food is that it’s just as good reheated if you don’t get to it right away.”

  He groaned. “Such a temptress.”

  His hands rested at the dip in her waist. She leaned forward and kissed him, their lips tangling. She rubbed against him, her breasts pressing to his chest, her sex grinding against his erection.

  “You’re already hard for me,” she murmured.

  “From the moment you walked through the door.”

  “That’s so hot, Alex.”

  He kissed her this time. A scorching one that sparked her passion and made her insanely wet.

  When she pulled away to catch her breath, Alex palmed her breasts and gave them a rough squeeze that sent a titillating thrill through her. She leaned back, her spine arching as her shoulders and head rested against the glass top of the table. Alex massaged her breasts, teasing her nipples tight until she ached for him.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed. She slid a hand behind the lace covering her at the apex of her legs and rubbed her clit with two fingers.

  “That’s so damn sexy, Lo. Keep doing it.”

  He tucked the cups of her
bra under her breasts, and rolled and pinched the hard centers with his fingers and thumbs. She picked up the pace between her thighs.

  “Let me help,” he murmured as he brushed aside the thong and eased a long finger into her. Then a second one. He pumped vigorously while she massaged the ultra-sensitive pearl that pulsed with wicked beats. His other hand remained on her breast, caressing the full mound, squeezing firmly, whisking his thumb over the puckered nipple.

  “Alex,” she moaned. “Oh, shit.”

  Without doubt, everything about her sinfully delicious encounters with Alex set her off. His strokes were quick and assertive. It took mere minutes for the two of them to work her into a frenzy, and she came on a crazed rush of fiery sensations, a sharp cry falling from her lips.

  * * *

  Lola’s loud pants of air filled the room, above the soft, eclectic music of the CD Alex had put in the player before she’d come in.

  “That was so good,” she whispered.

  Alex gently gripped her wrist and dragged her hand from inside her panties. Then he slid the two fingers she’d used to get herself off into his mouth, tasting her.

  She gasped at the intimate gesture. Her eyes snapped open and she straightened. Their gazes locked. Her heart thundered.

  “Alex.” Her pussy throbbed and lust hummed through every inch of her. “Get a condom and fuck me.”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice. Alex was on it.

  He lifted her off his lap, and she stood, albeit shakily. His gaze remained on her as he dug in his pocket for a foil packet and deposited it on the table.

  As she’d noted, he was already hard. That could prove hazardous.

  Don’t get too excited, dude.

  Lola’s affection was currently related to his dick, he knew, and nothing more. Although, if sex was the way to her heart, he’d give her everything she wanted and needed—and enjoy every second of winning her over.

  He got to his bare feet, dropped his pants, and kicked them away. Then his fingers hooked in the strands of Lola’s thong, and he dragged the material down her legs and helped her out of them, since she still wore the heels. He unfastened her bra and tossed it aside.

  “Feel free to parade around the condo just like this,” he told her. “Day or night.”

  She laughed softly. A sweet, feminine sound that did him in.

  “No more robe, huh?”

  “Definitely no more robe.”

  Because she took his breath away. His cock had jumped to attention the second she’d entered the room, knowing the fantastic body beyond the clothes and the way she felt beneath him, on top of him. In his arms. The way she moved with him, hungry for what he gave her. The way she moaned and begged him to fuck her harder.

  His erection throbbed at the sight of her—and his need for her grew.

  “Bend over,” he said, lust edging his voice as he turned her around.

  She did as he demanded, no hesitation. She rested her forearms on the table and watched him over her shoulder, her long hair falling over the opposite one.

  Alex’s hand skimmed her ass, and he gently spanked a cheek. Her body jolted.

  “Alex.” She’d instantly turned breathy, and her big blue eyes glowed with excitement. “You do naughty so well.”

  He let out a low groan. She had no idea he was driven by the unrelenting desire to make her want no one but him. And he had plenty of thoughts on how to keep her coming back for more.

  His hand shifted, his fingers grazing the cleft of her ass before two of them plunged into her pussy from behind.

  “Oh!” Her inner walls automatically squeezed his fingers.

  Alex didn’t give her time to assimilate. He pumped rhythmically, pushing deep. His other hand moved around to the front of her and he rubbed her clit with the same frenetic tempo.

  “Oh, Christ. Alex.” She whimpered sharply.

  “You’d rather have me do this than do it yourself, right?”

  “God, yes.”

  Her spine arched and her ass lifted, seeking more.

  An invitation Alex accepted. He slid his fingers out and he rubbed them against his thumb, coating his skin. Then he eased his fingers back into her tight canal and slowly stroked while the pad of his thumb pressed into what he’d venture to say was a forbidden spot for her. Sure enough, she gasped.

  “Holy cow, that’s so—so—Oh…”

  “Don’t tense up.” He circled the rim. A throaty moan fell from her lips. Her permission.

  His thumb pushed farther in while he massaged her pussy with his fingers, picking up the pace again. With his other hand, he still teased her clit.

  “You get me so damn hot,” she murmured. Her eyelids dipped, and her forehead rested against the tabletop. The glass was cool, he surmised. “Make me come.”

  Alex put extra effort into his ministrations. When her breathing hitched to staccato beats, and a tremor ran through her, he knew she was almost there.

  He kept at it, and her whimpers turned erratic. Seconds later, her entire body seized, then quaked.

  “Oh, my God! Alex!” She clenched his fingers, deep inside her. “Holy Christ!”

  She rode out her climax. He knew he’d delivered a powerful orgasm. Moments ticked by, then he withdrew from her, sheathed himself, and thrust into her. He fucked her aggressively, possessively, his arm around her to keep her hips from slamming against the table.

  “Yes,” she groaned. “God, yes. Alex, you are so incredible.”

  And he was in a frenzied state, needing her like nothing he’d ever known before.

  It was insane to be this desperate for her. But everything about Lola got him all worked up. Especially the fact that she trusted him, no matter what he did to her. Maybe she knew all he cared about was pleasuring her.

  Well, he reaped the benefits, too. Being buried in her warm, wet depths was un-fucking-believable.

  “Jesus, Alex.” She let out another throaty moan that kept him revved. “You’re going to make me come again. So fast.”

  His hips bucked wildly. His cock thickened.

  Damn, she was tight. And she milked him with her inner muscles, pushing him to the brink.

  The pulsating rhythm pounding through his body had him picking up the pace. His wide shaft slid along her slick walls with just the right amount of friction because of the snug fit. He thrust hard and deep, and she took everything he gave her.

  “Just like that, Alex.” Her voice had turned hoarse from her heavy breaths. “God, you make me want to claw at something. Scream. Bite you all over that hunky body of yours.”

  “We’ll get to that later. Right now, I need to make you come.”

  He pumped heartily. He was sexually charged. Emotionally charged.

  Desperate for Lola.

  “Alex,” she rasped. “That’s it. Right—oh, God—right there!”

  Her body stilled. Then she called out his name as she squeezed him tight.

  “Lo,” he ground out. “Oh, fuck. That is so good…”

  His hips jerked as he thrust deeper. She vibrated all around him. Seconds later, he erupted inside her, his dick surging from the release, his body convulsing.

  “Ah, goddamn, Lola.” Every fiber of his being sizzled, and he felt seared to the core.

  In his brain, all Alex could think was that it had never been like this with any other woman—and it never would be.

  Lola was it for him.

  And that was the ultimate jacking of his program.

  Chapter Seven

  “I pad my bra.”

  Lola stared at Sarah, stunned. Confused.

  “Um, oh-kay.” A strange convo to have following their Thursday morning meeting.

  “Seriously,” Sarah said as she stood just inside Lola’s cube, not even speaking quietly. She used her normal matter-of-fact “Paris” tone. “One breast is smaller than the other. Like I have a C cup and a not-so-nearly C cup, so I have to add a little extra something to even them out. Makes it hard to date, you know? I feel l
ike I’m being deceptive or something when I get naked.”

  Lola’s stomach started its all-too-familiar-of-late churning. “Why are you telling me this?”

  A hint of uncertainty flickered in Sarah’s eyes, but was quickly replaced with her usual confidence. She squared her shoulders. Dove right in. “Mark was right when he talked about us needing to be more of a team. We really weren’t all that cohesive before you came along, especially since we all know a management position is on the line when our current manager moves up to director. Todd’s going to promote from within the department. We all want the job. Fierce competition doesn’t exactly bring out the warm fuzzies in coworkers.”

  “For the record,” Lola said, “I’m not a contender, and that’s okay. I have a lot to learn from you guys.”

  Sarah gave a sharp nod. “It takes a little time to get a handle on all the quick-moving parts. But you’re doing a great job, Lola. Honestly. Though that’s not really what I’m getting at. You’ve sparked camaraderie among us. For Mark to say what he did about his wife, and for Jen to admit something so personal about herself is not the norm for us. So, here I am, telling you something personal about me. Totally outside my comfort zone. I don’t do ‘Kumbaya’ well.”

  Not exactly a surprise.

  Lola pinned her with a serious look. “This has what to do with me?”

  “I’d like you to share something about yourself. I know I have no right to ask, it’s just that… you’ve really impressed us the past couple of days, and I guess it would help the team-building if you told us why you won’t do the ads—if that’s the direction we take with the campaign.”

  “Oh, wow. Uh…” Panic shot through her. What the hell was she supposed to say to that?

  Jen suddenly appeared at the entrance of Lola’s cube. “Mark’s in the john. We’ve got a few minutes.” She gave Lola a compelling look. “Sarah’s not being pushy. She’s never shown a chink in her armor before. So this is sort of a watershed moment for us.”

  “You’re not just ganging up on me?” Lola asked with a crooked brow. “Hazing? Initiation?”

  “No,” Sarah said. “The truth is, we spend five days a week with one another. We should know one another. That’s just going to make us more solid as a department, right? I didn’t realize it until yesterday, when you got all vulnerable-looking because we told you to write on the board again.”