by Violet Blake
She led me to her office, filling me in on the last week’s events, which were pretty much none. With everybody so sick they’d closed down the office Friday and Monday—not much to do without anybody to handle accounts. Relief flooded me. I might have missed out on the much-needed money, but at least I hadn’t left anybody hanging.
When I got to my desk I found a text from Sawyer.
Sawyer: You’re at work, aren’t you?
Shame made my cheeks flush.
Blair: Somebody’s got to bring home the bacon ;) Are you still wearing your glasses?
Sawyer: Where’s that riding crop?
Blair: I’ll be sure to pack it this weekend. Glasses?
The next message was a media file. I opened it to find a selfie of him—wearing glasses and his adorable stubble—frowning.
Blair: You’re so hot when you’re mad.
Sawyer: Sigh. You’re so hot when you’re breaking rules.
Blair: So all’s forgiven?
Sawyer: I suppose. Get back to work, heathen.
Glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, I took a quick selfie, sure to include a generous amount of cleavage.
Sawyer: That’s not exactly work. But OK.
Blair: XX
The next few days were packed with catching up at work, home, and chasing away the remainders of my cold. Friday morning, Victoria invited me to her office for a meeting.
She handed me an envelope with my name typed on the front. “Your paycheck, plus a little something from me. I know per your contract you can’t accept bonuses, but consider this sick day reimbursement.”
I stared, slack-jawed, at the envelope. “I can’t—what?”
She laughed. “You’ve worked your ass off, and I know you’re working hourly and missed a lot of work. Please take this. We got a huge bonus for signing on Arthur Biomed, which I couldn’t have done without you.”
With a shaky smile, I took the envelope. “Thank you, Victoria.”
“We’re closing up early today, so wrap up what you need to and head out when you’re done. I’ll sign you off at four.” She gave me a wink.
Nodding, I did a mental fist pump. “Thank you. Have a great weekend.”
“You, too.”
There wasn’t much to wrap up. I did what I needed, then used my phone to deposit my check. With a few bucks in the bank, I would be able to pay a few of my outstanding bills. Even with the sweet bonus, I’d still have to sell my ring, but at least I’d have a little bit left over.
I checked my watch. Jessica was going to pick me up at 5:30, which left me with enough time to head home, pack, and take care of said bills. At home, I pulled them out of the fridge—still under the turkey—and stuffed a few envelopes. I’d have enough left over to get by for the next week, and that was about it.
My painting caught my attention. For all that was at stake, ten pounds of canvas, wood, and paint seemed insignificant. Without any doubt in my mind I’d win this bet over the next three days. All we had left to do was anal sex, sex at a party, tying up Sawyer, and the last one was his choice.
But something felt…not right. Remembering Sawyer’s nightmares, and his hesitance to talk about it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it. I glanced at my couch, recalling the conversation we’d had a few days ago, which triggered something else: the darkness in his eyes when he talked about it matched what I’d seen when I broached the subject of tying him up.
The two had to be related. I could understand feeling vulnerable about being tied up, but he wasn’t the type to refuse to do so out of principle. I would bet my left nipple on it.
The weight of what I was about to do turned out surprisingly light. Compared to the fear in Sawyer’s eyes when I’d brought up him being tied up, the fear I’d feel over a painting seemed silly.
I didn’t have the whole story. Yet. But no matter what happened this weekend, I hoped that I would.
I checked my watch. Jessica would be here in two hours. In the meantime, I had a mission.
...
Jessica picked me up, and we headed up I-70 to the mountains. The drive was the typical rush hour parking lot, which left a lot of time for us to converse. And by converse, I mean for her to grill me. She marinated me, flayed me open, and tossed my ass on the fire.
“What’s going to happen to you and Sawyer after this weekend?”
“Subtle, Jess.”
She shrugged, hit her turn signal, and jerked her Mercedes into the left lane. “As your BFF and Sawyer’s favorite cousin, I have to ask. Did you finish the list yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Time’s ticking, Miss Thang. You only have three days.”
Hiding my smile, I shrugged. I filled her in on the last week. She’d known that he took time off, but had no idea why he’d done it. And when I told her what I’d told him about why I’d come home she gasped.
“He’s in love with you,” she breathed. “Damn it. You’re going to make me cry.”
“It seems a bit early for love.” Logically. But a girl could hope.
“Early, schmearly. The heart wants what it wants.”
“Probably. But can the heart translate to coherent thoughts that don’t come in such a way that fucks things up?”
“You can do it. Just tell him how you feel.”
“You make it sound so easy,” I said.
She wove in and out of a semi and an SUV. “Eh. You’ll be fine. Just open your mouth. Speak. What needs to be said will be said.”
I winced and tried to focus on places that weren’t heavy holiday traffic. None of these revelations would do me any good if she drove us off the side of the mountain, where we’d most certainly crash into a ball of fire. “Now that’s a scary thought.”
She turned to me, somehow staying in her lane. “Some of my favorite moments are ones where you do that.”
“I’m sure they are,” I said, some of my most embarrassing classic moments coming to mind.
“After the shit you’ve been through, you were smart. Cautious, but smart.” She settled on a lane and turned the A/C down—the higher altitude brought cooler temperatures, a nice relief. “Now all you need to do is sit back and enjoy.”
But, true to my life’s MO, enjoyment was not to be.
...
Sawyer had texted his room number, and I hauled my bags up the stairs of the luxury mountain lodge to his room. He answered seconds after the first knock. Not bothering with such silliness as verbal greetings, he hauled me to him.
I gasped, a tremor overtook me, and I wrapped my arms around him, inhaling deeply. Closing my eyes, I melted into his embrace, disbelieving that it had only been a couple of days since I’d seen him.
But there was something off about him. He held me close, but the action felt stiff. Before I could think on that further, he moved his hands under my ass and lifted me, pressing his lips to mine in a searing kiss. I bound my legs around his hips, and as he walked across the room, pulled his shirt out of his pants. He set my butt on the kitchenette counter and pushed my skirt up around my waist.
While we kissed I made quick work of his suit—how could a guy wear a full three-piece suit in a moment like this anyway?—until I could run my hands all over his hard pecs and abs.
He, on the other hand, was more interested in getting right to the point. Fingers pushed the crotch of my panties aside, diving right into me. My head fell back, and I sighed. His lips and tongue did the most amazing things to my neck, and I brushed my thumb over his flat nipple while the other reached for his cock.
He was. So. Hard.
He sucked in air through his teeth and pushed into me.
“Fuck.” I put my hands on his shoulders, gripping his muscles, totally enjoying the way they strained and rippled under my touch. I felt so safe, like I could go anywhere, do anything with this man and I’d never have anything left to fear. I met his eyes, unable to mask my vulnerability.
He thrust into me again with a hard snap. Weari
ness darkened the skin under his eyes, making him no less striking. With his week-old stubble he looked sharp, savage. Sexy as fuck.
I pulled my dress up and over my head and tossed it to the side.
His lips crushed to mine and his hand found my bra. He yanked the left cup down, pushed my back into the cold marble, and his lips covered my nipple. Increasing the intensity of his thrusting, his other hand pinned my right hand to the countertop. I closed my eyes and fought for breath, sliding my hand out from under his grasp to lace my fingers with his.
My orgasm came fast, fiery, consuming. I squeezed my eyes shut, bit my lip, and rode out wave after wave of crazy hot pleasure.
He took my ankle and moved it up to his shoulder, holding it there. This angle gave him much deeper access, and I arched my back, soaking up the yumminess. His grip around my leg tightened, and I felt the scrape of his teeth, contrasting with the warm softness of his lips, on my ankle. In the next second he came, thrusting into me with quick, forceful movements. He came with a deep rumble, collapsed into me, and his forehead fell to my chest.
Lips pressed against my sternum, working up the length of my rips to my neck, jaw, and mouth. I opened my eyes and what I found about snipped my heartstrings in half. Where I’d felt vulnerable, what I saw in his eyes was nothing short of distressing.
Breath trapped in my throat. “What’s wrong?”
“Three days was too long,” he said, his voice harsh.
I wanted so badly to demand he tell me everything that bothered him. I’d kick ass, take names. Whatever it took to make him him again. He could try all he wanted to say he was busy and had been overworked, but he’d always been busy and overworked. Something was different. How frustrating that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth yet.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” I said, taking note of the darker flesh under his eyes.
“I’ve been thinking of you all the nights you haven’t been with me.” He tried for a snarky smirk, but I saw right through it.
“If you hadn’t shown up like Saint Freaking Callahan last week to take care of my sick ass, you wouldn’t have to catch up so much this week.” Ugh. My lips tugged into a frown.
“I’m fine. I promise.” He pulled out of me, and I sat up, deciding to unhook my bra instead of trying to put things right. Because this weekend? I planned to be naked. A lot.
The clouds in his eyes cleared and gave way to a smile that I felt all the way to my clit. “I like where you’re going with this. You ready to win this bet this weekend?”
Smiling like a cat with a canary in its mouth, I nodded. “If you don’t have anything better to do.”
“I only have to work for a little bit,” he said. “A few meetings, a few appearances, then I’m all yours.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too.” He moved his hand to my knee, and up my thigh. “We have a party to go to in a few minutes, but after that, I fully intend on showing you the fun of a no-rules weekend.”
We cleaned up, dressed, and I touched up my makeup. I didn’t even have to ask him to wear his glasses. He knew I had a full-on Clark Kent fetish.
I wore a lightweight dark purple cotton dress and my silver ballet flats. On a whim, before we left, I shucked my panties and left them at the room. Couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he made that discovery.
Hand in hand, we walked down to the lobby for drinks. Everybody who lived out of town had rooms in the same place, courtesy of the brewery. Sawyer and I strolled into the lobby, where a spread of charcuterie, beer, and tables were placed. Packed with nearly 150 people, I guessed, the place had quickly filled up. Sawyer introduced me to the Summit executive crew.
His uncle arrived, and everybody clapped. Unlike my mother, whose smiles when addressing a crowd were perfect and practiced, John’s smile was genuine. Warm. Adoring. Everybody gathered around.
“Welcome. I wanted to take a moment to tell all of you how much you mean to our company. Callahan’s couldn’t function without each and every one of you. Relax, enjoy the weekend. Thank you.” He held his hands together in conclusion, and was met with another round of applause.
John spotted Sawyer and I and walked over, pulling the two of us into a group hug. He was just that cool. I hugged him back and he kissed my cheek. “So happy to see you up here, Blair. How is everything going?”
I wrapped my arm around Sawyer’s waist and returned John’s smile. I so had this. “Couldn’t be better.”
“Good,” he said. “Do you mind if I steal Sawyer for a moment?”
I shook my head, and Sawyer gave me a toe-curling smile-and-wink before walking away with his uncle. Jessica had sent me a text earlier to let me know she’d be here any minute now. Which in Jessica-speak meant in half an hour or more.
I still had four things from the list to do, and with Sunday being the end of the thirty days, we’d have to pack them into this weekend. Nude paintings of me on the auction block, I’m sure, weren’t going to do well for Mom’s re-election. I could almost hear the collective gasp when that little tidbit was discovered.
Which made my plot twist all the more exciting.
Jessica stood near the bar waiting for her beer to be poured, and I walked her way. She handed me a chocolate stout beer.
“I’m so glad to see you here,” she said, hugging me to her as if forgetting she hadn’t just seen me a few hours ago. “Sawyer wasn’t going to come at all. He rarely does.”
“The workaholic strikes again,” I said, and popped a slice of Havarti into my mouth.
“Please. He’s always up for a party,” she said. “He just hates the gondolas we have to take up to the mountaintop.”
A quiet warning bell dinged in my head. “He’s not a fan of compact places, is he?”
She shook her head and picked a slice of salami from her plate. “Never has. Some people just hate that kind of thing, I guess.”
I turned, and sure enough, the crowd parted like Sawyer was Moses. His eyes burned with that erotic ravenous glower my girly parts lived and died for, and my teeth involuntarily bit into my lower lip.
“Wow, Blair,” Jessica whispered. “This is a company party. Not a company porno.”
I raised my brow at her. “Who’s the one whose sole mission in life was to turn me into a nympho?”
“Mission accomplished, apparently.”
“Maybe I should give you my list to do next?” I asked. “I’m sure I can find a high stakes bet for you to do.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Hitting a dry spot?” I asked, smiling sweetly.
She glared, and Sawyer tugged me into his arms.
His lips grazed my earlobe, and when he spoke, his voice came out a sensual rumble. “What do you say we ditch the party and you can show me what Number Seven is like?”
Surprised, I turned in his arms. Eight was anal sex. I thought I was the last person on the planet never to have tried it. “You mean you don’t already know?”
“Not with you.”
Jessica let out a small screech. “Gross. You guys are gross. I can’t even hear what you’re saying, but this? This is…” She pretended to gag.
When Sawyer laughed, it was a rough sound that reverberated through me. My nipples perked up, which I’m sure he felt through the thin cotton of my dress.
“Bye, Jessie,” he said. He turned back to me, his eyes burning. “I want to fuck you so badly right now that you’re going to have to walk right in front of me on our way out.”
I laughed. We’d only been at the party for a hour, tops. “I can feel how badly you want me,” I said with a nervous laugh, “but if you want to leave now, you’re going to have to make me a promise.”
“Name what you want and it’s yours. My house, my car, my stock portfolio…anything.”
“It just so happens I’m not wearing underwear, which I’m very disappointed you haven’t found out on your own before now. So you’re going to feel me up in the stairwell, and make this
whole semi-public-exposure-thing totally worth it.”
“Christ,” he said, his eyes pained. “I’m about to come right now.”
“Save yourself, Callahan. I have big plans for you this weekend.”
“Upstairs. Now.”
Less than three minutes later we burst through our door, not bothering with the stairwell. He shut it with his foot and yanked my dress up, leaving me in a bra and my flats. He stopped and bit the knuckle of his pointer finger. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“You like?”
“If it were up to me you’d never wear them again.” He tore his T-shirt off his body and got to work on his jeans. All while I kissed him, and guided him backward to the bed. I fell back when my legs hit the bed and he shucked his pants and shoes, then dropped to his knees in front of me.
His hands gripped my thighs and he parted them, laying me open. “I love that you’re already so fucking wet.”
His tongue licked me from end to end and I cried out. He gave my pussy all the attention he could, until I panted and writhed and had absolutely zero control over my own body. Then he kissed his way back up my body, and I folded my legs around him.
Nerves tingled in anticipation for what was to come. I’d heard mixed reviews about backdoor sex, with both camps firmly in one or the other. Had Jessica not put it on my list, I probably never would’ve tried it.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
“I’m not the only one,” I teased, but the flirtation came out unsteady. My teeth clacked as I spoke.
“We don’t have to do this. Not unless you want to.”
I shook my head. “The whole point of this was to try new things. And since you’re my partner in crime, that goes for you, too.”
He chuckled. “New things for the win. Turn over.”
We were positioned at the end of the bed, so when I turned over, my hips were at the edge, with my ass on display. Warm hands landed on my butt and squeezed, and his tongue licked my sex.
“This is…” I moaned and sank into the bed, curling my fingers around the sheets like a cat. Teeth gently took my clit and tugged, and as his tongue flicked across my most intimate flesh I arched my back. His fingers massaged my ass, circling closer and closer to my anus.