“Damn, Tori. You are perfect,” he whispered against her skin.
“You said they were too small,” she choked out as her lower body throbbed and ached.
“I lied. You are hot as fuck,” he whispered and then released the clamp of her lift bra with the hand that had at some point left her hip.
In the next moment, her bra was gone. Again he pulled her head back by her hair. His mouth latched onto one hardened nipple and suckled before gently biting it. Her mouth opened and she gasped for air as tension built in the nub at her very core. When he released her breast, only to repeat the process on the other side, a sound escaped her that she had never made before. Her upper body arched backwards, her lower body ground against his, and the throbbing in the center of her exploded. Wetness engulfed her and she cried out at the ecstasy it brought with it.
She vaguely felt Seth grind against her before biting her neck and groaning. His breathing sounded as though he’d run a mile. Then he nuzzled her neck, whispering, “Shit, Tori, I’m sorry. That has never happened to me before. I got carried away.”
Then she felt the dampness where their lower bodies were still as close together as was possible through clothing. She somehow managed to get off of his lap and stand up, but her legs shook so badly he quickly reached out to steady her. Looking down at herself, she realized that her dress pants were wet. Then she looked toward his lap only to see that not only was she wet, but he was, as well.
“Oh, God, Seth. I’m so sorry. Did I make you pee pressing up against you like that?”
Meeting her eyes, he grinned at her. “No, but for the first time in my life I came without ever taking my dick out of my pants.”
“I’m pretty wet, too, though. Are you sure?” she asked.
Looking at her pants and then at his own, he said, “Not all of this is from me. Some of this is from you.”
Humiliation crawled up her neck when she realized he was right. She’d been with a man before and knew what his…stuff looked like. This was different. She felt the tears burning as she scooped up her T-shirt, pulled it back on and made a run for the bathroom. She almost made it inside when he blocked the closing door with one well-muscled arm. The tears were already making tracks down her cheeks and she could not stop them.
“Tori, what is it? You had an orgasm, so what? So did I! It doesn’t matter. It’s just me, Seth,” he said. “Are you disappointed? I’m sorry. I told you…that has never happened to me before, I swear, but…Jesus, I’ve wanted you for weeks now and you are so fucking hot when you came, I just lost it. I’m sorry.”
“I got you all…wet,” she sniffed, unable to look at him. If it was possible to die from embarrassment, she only had a few seconds left to live.
“Will you please stop saying that? If you keep reminding me how incredibly sexy you are when you come, I am going to cry. I cannot believe after all this time, I blew it. I was going to make it so good for you…and I blew it. I didn’t even get to see all of you,” he said, looking away from her.
He actually looked disappointed. What they had just done defied explanation. Having been more dressed than not, he’d only kissed her breasts. Just him watching her and her watching him while he’d shown her how to give him a lap dance. That’s all it had taken to give her a real orgasm.
The memory of what they had just done brought the bottom half of her body back to life with a vengeance. She hadn’t even kissed him when she’d thought of nothing else all week. Looking at him now, he looked frustrated and embarrassed, much like how she felt. Wiping the last tears off her cheeks, she moved close to him. She slid her hand up to his neck and pulled him down to her. She’d already made a mess of this experience…but it had been wonderful at the same time. What more damage could she cause if she kissed him like she’d dreamed of kissing him over the past few nights?
When he figured out what she was doing, he closed the distance between their lips in an open-mouthed kiss. His tongue found hers and he moaned. She felt it clear to her soul. Just as his kiss became more intense, he pulled back from her, breathing heavily.
“I have a little more than a four hour drive, one way, to tonight’s show and as much as I don’t want to go, I have to,” he said against her mouth before kissing her again. “I hope you aren’t so disappointed in me that you take back the offer of the basement.”
Disappointed in him? After what she’d just experienced and the mess she had made, he should be the one disappointed in her. She met his gaze and couldn’t hold back the laugh at his expression. He was right. He was just himself…just Seth. His friendship was there in his satisfied grin and her heart tilted a little. They would get past whatever had just happened between them and he would still be her friend. His expression said as much.
“Yes, you and Caleb are still welcome to the basement. I don’t have enough furniture or decorations to put down there anyway,” she said, unable to keep from grinning at him.
He smiled even wider and kissed her again. His mouth felt so good, she could barely contain herself. She wanted to grab him and just…
The reality of her feelings for him slapped her in such a way that it was almost a physical pain. Against her better judgment she’d fallen for him—a male stripper of all people!
“One more favor?” he asked against her mouth. “Can I borrow a towel? I have to drive home like this.”
She knew her cheeks were flaming now, but he simply laughed while grabbing a bath towel out of her closet. Giving her one more quick kiss, he said, “I’ll be by tomorrow with Caleb and some of his stuff, if that is okay.”
Nodding her head, she watched as he headed out of her room. Soon enough she heard his car heading down the street. Stripping down completely, she got in the shower. Her mind tried to grasp her whirlwind of emotions. She had just had some weird form of sex with an extremely hot guy with most of her clothes still on. The man that up until three weeks ago had only brought forth angry feelings when she thought of him had been the same man to bring her to orgasm for the first time in her life.
She had begun to think the experience was something women made up. Oh, it had been very real and her lower body was still reminding her of it. Would she be able to ignore that fact when Seth was around? He and Caleb would be staying in her basement now. If the awkwardness of his first week working for her returned…it would hurt. She enjoyed his friendship so much. Would this change everything between them?
After she finished her shower and changed, she went downstairs to get some work done. Her cell phone rang and the display indicated it was Tim. She hesitated taking the call, but finally answered, deciding it could be about work.
“Hey, we still on for tomorrow night?” Tim asked when she answered.
Whether things had changed between her and Seth remained to be seen, but things between her and Tim had definitely changed. No longer could she lie to herself or to him. Their relationship wasn’t going anywhere. He and Seth couldn’t be more different than if they were from entirely different species.
Yes, Tim had a great job and was well known in the community, but Seth worked two jobs to help his injured brother without the recognition of any upstanding community members. When she talked to him, Tim often appeared as though he wasn’t even listening to her, while Seth goaded her with his wit and mischievousness. Tim was boring and as predictable as getting wet in the rain while Seth would grab her by the hand and drag her through one new experience after another.
There was just no comparison between the two men. Though she thought she’d wanted the dull but safe relationship that Tim offered, her heart was telling her otherwise. Her heart had been trying to tell her that for a while, but she had been stubbornly ignoring it. Now she just needed to be honest with Tim about her feelings. He was a nice guy and she owed him the truth regardless of what, if anything, transpired between her and Seth. Tim also deserved a face-to-face explanation instead of being dumped over the phone.
“Yeah, tomorrow night is fine. I actually need to talk
to you about a few things.”
“There is something I need to talk to you about, too,” he said. “Seven o’clock, okay?”
“Yeah, see you then,” she replied.
The following morning Zach came into her room and said, “Mommy, Caleb is moving to our house! Can he stay in my room? Cody Manson shares a room with his brother. Please, Mom?”
“Honey, Caleb isn’t your brother, he’s a grown man,” she said, rolling over to eye the alarm clock.
“Yes, he is my brother. He calls me bro,” Zach explained.
His little face was a couple of inches from hers and she cupped his soft cheek in her hand. She hadn’t realized how much of an influence both Caleb and Seth had been on Zach in the past few weeks. Months into dating Tim and Zach still treated him like a stranger. After only a few weeks with Seth, Zach was like a different child now, no longer sullen or uninterested in the world around him. He was reading and making friends because Caleb and Seth encouraged him. Didn’t Zach need that type of guidance as well?
“Let me get a shower. I’ll come downstairs and we can talk about it then,” she suggested. “Maybe Caleb will want his own room…in the basement.”
When she finally made it down to the kitchen, she found Caleb and Zach sitting at the bar watching cartoons through the doorway and eating cereal. She couldn’t contain her snicker at the picture the two of them made. If one didn’t know better, one might think the two were actually brothers.
“What is so funny?” Seth asked from directly behind her.
“They kind of put you in the mind of Forrest Gump and Forrest Jr., don’t they?” she asked.
Seth started laughing, slid an arm around her shoulders and used his grip to pull her back against him. Then he buried his face in her hair. “Caleb let it slip to Zach about moving in before I could stop him. I’m sorry. You should have been the one to tell him.”
“It’s okay, but perhaps Caleb can now explain to Zach why he cannot share a bedroom with him like Cody Manson shares a room with his brother,” she said with a quiet laugh. God, he felt good against her…laughing and sharing this time together.
All the fear that had kept her up last night worrying was gone. He was still Seth…and still her friend above all else. He kissed the side of her head and then ruffled her hair before stepping around her and pouring himself some cereal.
She worked the majority of the morning and most of the afternoon migrating the last of the data over to the new server and into the tables of the new database. Proud of her ability to have logically mapped out the best approach to this project, she could only sigh with relief that the hard part was over. Now it would be a matter of fine-tuning and maintaining. After finishing, she headed upstairs to get ready to meet with Tim.
As much as she didn’t look forward to breaking up with Tim, she had to wonder if he would eventually be relieved. Tim deserved to feel about someone the way she felt about Seth. She wasn’t that person for Tim any more than he was that person for her. Even if things went no further with Seth, she needed to be honest about her feelings. She needed more than just a respectable man who could tolerate her son. She needed a partner.
After dropping off Zach at Kayla’s house so that Addie could watch him, Tori drove to the restaurant that she and Tim always went to when they went out together. He held a chair for her when she approached the table. The same heavy feeling of awkwardness she often felt with him settled into the pit of her stomach as she tried to get comfortable in her seat.
“I drove by your place earlier and saw your housekeeper unloading things from his car. You doing some additional decorating?” he asked with a smile.
This wasn’t how she’d imagined starting this conversation, but it needed to be said. Taking a deep breath, she replied, “No. Actually, he and his brother are going to rent the basement from me. It helps them out financially and he has agreed to help me with Zach during the summer while school is out.”
A look crossed Tim’s face that she couldn’t read before he visibly shuttered it and said, “Oh, are you sure that is a good idea? You barely know the guy.”
“Actually, he’s good friends with my girlfriend Kayla’s husband. So I’ve known him for a few months now. I met him at her mother’s funeral and he was in their wedding…as was I,” she said, after ordering a glass of wine.
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve missed you these past few weeks. I’m sure you enjoy not having to come into the office, but at least when you were there we could go to lunch together. I’m not so sure I like having to schedule time to see you.”
This was going to be harder than she’d first thought, but it had to be done. Once the waiter came by with their wine and took their orders, she again squared her shoulders to push ahead with what she’d come here to say.
“I’m not so sure this is working well for me either. The part about us, not the part about working from home. In fact, I was able to finish the last portion of the migration today. I think it’s easier to concentrate within the privacy of my office at home than when people are running in and out asking me questions,” she said. “The ‘us’ part, though…I, uh, I just don’t think that is working out very well for me.”
He reached across the table, took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Then, with his other hand, he pulled out a diamond ring and began sliding it on her finger. A sick feeling replaced the awkwardness in her stomach. No… Wasn’t he hearing what she said?
“Exactly. That is why I thought now was as good a time as any for us to make this official. You’re a good woman, Tori, and with your new position I think it is time the rest of the staff gets used to the fact that we are together. We will make a good team, both in the office and in our personal lives. Together, we are unstoppable. We make good money. We understand the demands of each other’s work. We have a lot in common,” he said with a smile. “So what do you think?”
Aside from the weekend she’d run into him at the mall, she’d barely seen him over the past three weeks. When they spoke on the phone, it was mostly about work. Why now? Why did he want to ask her this now that she’d finally figured out he wasn’t right for her?
“Tim, I don’t think so. I just don’t feel that way about you,” she said.
He startled her with a laugh. “I know I haven’t been as attentive to you lately but we’ve both been so busy. I will make it up to you, I promise.”
“I don’t think you understand,” she said. “I’m not in love with you. We get along well and, yes, we do understand each other’s work, but…don’t you want more than that? I want more than that. I’m sorry.”
A look of shock crossed his face before he turned away. When he looked back at her, his expression had changed to one of malice. Releasing her hand, he sat back in his seat and stared at her before taking a sip of his wine. He looked as though he was prepared to tell her off. If it made him feel better then she would take it. She had lied to him, lied to them both. So whatever he had to say, she would listen.
“They all said that you were sleeping with me to get this job, that you were unqualified for the position. But I stood up for you. They wanted to release you, offer you a part-time consulting situation for this project, but I assured them that you could do the work,” he said. “Now that the migration is completed, they will once again want to cut you from the staff. I thought by asking you to marry me, they would spare you for fear of losing us both. Instead I find that they were right all along. Not only did it take you longer to complete this project than it should have, you were simply sleeping with me to get this position.”
What? She had heard the whispers about her sleeping her way to the top, but he had been only one vote out of ten. Had he really been the only reason why she had been given the promotion and raise? During her final interview for the position, it hadn’t felt like the other board members had been talked into offering her the job. It hadn’t felt as if they’d been…convinced of her ability.
The other bo
ard members had seemed excited to have her as part of the patient records technology team. Her old boss had indicated that he couldn’t match the money and benefits they offered, but that she deserved the promotion. He’d wished her well. Why would they have lured her away from the patient billing department just to have her handle the migration and then fire her? It made no sense. Were there politics involved that she didn’t know about?
“No, it wasn’t like that,” she replied. “I do care about you. You are a really sweet guy. I just don’t think my feelings are strong enough for me to marry you. Marriage is a huge step. I don’t think either one of us feel the way a person should feel before getting married, but I wasn’t using you for a promotion. And I don’t understand what you mean by the project taking longer. The migration was scheduled for five weeks and it’s done already…a week early. “
Tim had asked her out the first time just a few weeks before the new position had even been posted. Thinking back, he had seemed hesitant when she mentioned she was interested in the opening. Had he known even then that there was more to this assignment? If so, why hadn’t he told her what he knew and advised her to stay in her old job? Was he really the only hope she had of keeping her job?
He studied her for a minute and then took her hand again. “I adore you. I do not want to see you lose your job, regardless of how you think you feel about me. Say yes, at least for now. Wear the ring. We’ll announce our engagement so they will at least reconsider letting you go,” he pleaded. “Then after the project completion meeting, they will have reallocated funds and positions. Once we are both comfortably situated and secure in an assignment, if you still don’t feel that you want to marry me, you can break it off with me then. I care enough about you to allow you to continue to use me to secure this job. I don’t want to see you unemployed. You have a son. Who knows…perhaps by then you will realize just how perfect we are for each other. I can’t protect you from them if you don’t let me.”
Maid to Crave (Man Maid #2) Page 12