Counting the Kisses (Counting the Billions, #3)

by Lexy Timms

  I’d actually been a little nervous putting it on for Daniel on Friday evening, though. Would he think that it was too slutty? Was I sending the wrong message? I knew that he was looking for someone who was smart, someone who wasn’t just another airheaded bimbo. But then again, he had seen me in my office clothes nearly every day since I had started working at McGregor Enterprises. He had seen me in jeans around the house. He had seen me in nicer dresses.

  And he knew what he was getting into with me. I couldn’t possibly think I was sending the wrong message to him. Sometimes, I was sure that he knew me better than I even knew myself.

  Now, as he rocked into me, I didn’t regret my choice of outfit at all. No, I had made the right choice. I had gotten him at least as turned on as he had gotten me. I didn’t know why I was so turned on by his presence across the table from me at dinner. He was just in another of his suits, this one definitely nice but not markedly different from what he wore around the office during the day. But he kept reaching across the table to touch my hand, laughing at the things I said about the challenges of work that week, and just making me feel so comfortable around him.

  I loved him. That was all I could think about as I grinned stupidly over at him. And the thing was, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

  We were still on the same page at the moment, as he pressed me against the wall. I clung to his shoulders, using them to move my body as well, heat coiling in my belly as he continued to work my body in the way that only he seemed able to do.

  I couldn’t get over how strong he was, or the fact that he was so effortlessly able to move my body like this, holding me up as though I was light as a feather. I could feel his muscles beneath the material of his jacket as I clung to him. I could barely believe we were like this, unable to keep our hands off each other, unable to make it past the foyer or out of our clothing before we fucked each other breathless.

  It was exciting, it was wonderful, it was everything I could ever have wanted.

  I gasped, pushing my palms back against the wall as my back arched. A tingle ran down my spine as he managed to hit that one incredible bundle of nerves inside of me, the one that made my blood sing. Between that and the way my panties were still pressed against my clit, giving me the perfect kind of friction as Daniel continued to rock into me, I was so close to the edge already, or maybe I had been for the entire night.

  I sobbed as I came, but Daniel wasn’t done with me yet. He pulled me closer to him, carrying me toward the kitchen as I continued to gasp for air, not pulling out, his cock still twitching with impatience inside of me. He set me down on one of the high barstools and continued to slam into me with wild abandon as I held on for dear life.

  I couldn’t tell if the waves of pleasure overwhelming me would ever end. It certainly felt like they wouldn’t. Each new thrust sent another pulse of heat through me, until my whole body felt raw with feeling, a pulsing livewire, all circuits shorted out with the amazing feeling of it all.

  Daniel finally groaned, spilling inside of me, steadying himself against the countertop behind me, his face pressed sideways against my breast. “Fuck,” he said as he finally slumped toward me.

  I laughed, giddy with the epic release. “You can say that again.” I sighed and shook my head, plucking at my dress, suddenly aware of the fact that I was still wearing it. And suddenly aware of just how much I wanted to go upstairs and tumble naked into bed with him, our normal routine. “So I take it you like the dress?”

  Daniel laughed and shook his head, leaning in to kiss me chastely. “You look amazing,” he told me. He ran his fingers back through his mussed hair. “But now I’m exhausted.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “Bed?”

  Daniel nodded, scooping me back into his arms and carrying me up the stairs as I giggled.

  “So I did promise that when the trial was all done, I would take you somewhere where we could be alone,” he reminded me quietly as we lay there naked in the dark together.

  I blinked and rolled around toward him, looking up at his face in the half-light of moonlight spilling in through the window. “I thought now that I’m your replacement around the office, though, we couldn’t both play hooky.”

  Daniel shrugged. “I wasn’t suggesting we play hooky,” he said, grinning at me. “I was suggesting that we both clear our schedules in the near future. Where do you want to go?”

  I bit my lower lip. “I don’t even know,” I lied. Where did I want to go to be alone with Daniel? Was he really suggesting that we take a trip together, or was he just teasing me?

  “Sure you do,” Daniel said encouragingly. “Come on, where do you want to go? We can go anywhere in the world.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Thailand,” I admitted shyly. I could picture us there on an island, with a cute little secluded bungalow just for the two of us. We could spend the days curled together, exploring each other’s bodies, all worries about work fading far away.

  “Thailand,” Daniel said, and I could hear the interested note in his voice, like he was really considering it. I suddenly realized that I didn’t even know if he was a beach person or not. Maybe he hated the humidity, and here I was, suggesting that we go to one of the warmest, most humid places on the planet.

  “Or Australia,” I added, figuring that would give him another option. “That’s another place I’ve always thought about going. I mean, to be honest, there are so many places I’d like to go.”

  “But those are the top two,” Daniel said. He shrugged. “Well, why don’t we do both of them? Money’s not an object. And I want to show you the world.”

  I giggled and curled my body closer to his. “Are you serious?” I asked him.

  “One hundred percent,” Daniel said, nodding at me. He kissed my forehead. “I’ll start making the plans.” Then, softly: “I love you, you know.”

  “I love you, too.” I sighed happily. I drifted off to a sleep filled with dreams of bungalows, elephants, and hill treks. All with Daniel by my side.

  Chapter 21

  Daniel

  I ASKED ERIN TO COME into my office while Abby was at lunch. She gave me a curious look as she came in. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I want to rearrange my schedule some,” I said.

  “Okay,” Erin said, her brow furrowing. “What kind of rearranging are we talking about here? You’re not getting enough time to show Abby the ropes with that new CEO training that you’re working on?”

  “Not exactly,” I said, shaking my head. “I promised Abby that when the whole trial thing was over, I would take her away somewhere with me. You know, as thanks for letting me throw her to the wolves as interim CEO and all.”

  Erin rolled her eyes, smirking at me. “I’m sure that’s the only reason you want to whisk her away,” she teased.

  I grinned at her and shrugged. “I have to admit, I’m excited to just take a little break and get to spend some quality time with her,” I said. “But the main thing is, if I’m gone and she’s gone, even if I bring in someone to oversee things in our absence, there’s not a lot of business meetings and things that can happen without either of us.”

  Erin nodded slowly. “So basically we need to try to block off, what? A week? Two weeks?”

  “As long as you can give me,” I told her. “I know it’s probably irresponsible to ask for that, but I’m just hoping to take her to as many beautiful places as I can. She suggested Thailand and Australia; the transit alone, plus the time changes, are already going to eat part of that time.”

  “Of course,” Erin said. She scrolled through the calendar on her tablet, muttering to herself for a moment. “Yeah, we can do this,” she said finally. “Push back some of the important meetings. People will understand. And they’ll wait to do business with you. McGregor Enterprises has a reputation; everyone knows you’re the best.” She grinned at me, and I grinned right back.

  “I’ll get on it this afternoon and let you know what I come up with,” she
told me finally.

  “Sounds perfect,” I said. “And if there’s anyone pushing back against their meetings being rescheduled, feel free to transfer them over to me so that I can subtly remind them that I’ve chained myself to this desk for the better part of the last decade.”

  Erin snorted with amusement. But then, she frowned across at me. “The only thing I want to ask is, have you thought about how the media might try to spin this one? You’ve just gotten out of the trial with Gerrard, and now it looks like you’re trying to lay low for a while or something.”

  I shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t give a damn what the media has to say on the matter,” I told her, and for the first time in my life, it was true. It was the same thing I’d been thinking before: the people I actually cared about weren’t about to mistake the sensationalized tabloid stories for the truth about my life. And the people who did believe all the nonsense the media said about me I didn’t care to have in my life anymore. I wanted more Abbys and less Ivys.

  Erin looked pleased by my response. “All right, then,” she said. “If you give me a list of places you’re trying to visit, I can look into booking the accommodations and flights and everything as well.”

  I shook my head. “Actually, I think this time, Abby and I are going to do all of that ourselves. And I don’t think we’ll plan the whole trip ahead of time. I want things to be flexible when we hit the ground. I don’t want to miss out on anything we want to do.”

  “You mean, you don’t want her to miss out on anything she wants to do,” Erin surmised with a knowing smile on her face.

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “Sounds good,” Erin said. She paused. “You really care about her, don’t you?” she asked softly.

  I nodded. “I really do,” I admitted. It was strange admitting that to someone around the office, but I knew I could trust Erin. Besides, no one around the office really seemed to mind that Abby and I were a thing. In fact, I was pretty sure people were mostly relieved that I wasn’t alone anymore. I had always tried to maintain a more relaxed environment around the office, but now it was starting to feel even more relaxed, and efficient, than normal. I chalked that up to Abby’s presence in my life.

  “And the overseer for while you’re gone?” Erin asked. “Any idea who that might be? Is that friend of yours still between projects?”

  “He might be,” I said. “But I’ve decided that it’s really important for me not to hire in someone from the outside. I want someone who really understands this company’s heart and soul. Someone who everyone around the office can respect.”

  “Oh,” Erin said, looking puzzled. “But if you’re gone and Abby’s gone, who did you have in mind?” I could see her wracking her brains and knew that she probably expected I’d hire one of the guys who had once worked for my father.

  But instead, I smiled at her. “Actually, Erin, I was wondering if you’d be willing to step up while I’m out.”

  Erin looked shocked. “Me?” she squeaked in surprise. “But I’m just your assistant. I’m about as far removed from CEO as it’s possible to get and still be in the same building.”

  “Not really, when you think about it,” I said, shaking my head. “There was a reason I asked you to help Abby while I was gone. You’re smart. And because you’re my assistant, you know more about this business than most people do. You’ve scheduled meetings with everyone I work with, and you know what any given team is working on at any given time.”

  “I guess so,” Erin said doubtfully.

  “Besides, I’m not asking you to step up and be a CEO while we’re gone,” I assured Erin. “Not that I think that you couldn’t handle it, but I know it wouldn’t be fair for me to put that pressure on you. Really, I’m just looking for you to keep things running smoothly. To handle whatever anyone throws at the business while we’re gone, and to keep me in the loop about things that you think I need to know about. I trust you to know which things are important and which ones can wait until we’re back.”

  Erin nodded slowly. “I guess so,” she said.

  “And I’m not asking you to be perfect either,” I added. “Just like I wasn’t asking for Abby to be perfect when she stepped up for me. Things like the Duncan situation, those may happen. They could happen even if I was here, because fuck knows that I’m not perfect either. In fact, you should talk to some of the older guys sometime about all the mistakes I made when I first took over for my father.” I shook my head. “I’m really just asking you to keep the wheels turning. I know it’s a lot, but I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe you could do this.”

  Erin smiled tentatively at me. “All right,” she finally said. “But on one condition.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, expecting that she would ask for a raise. One which I would gladly give her. In fact, I had already drawn up the paperwork to send over to HR as early as that afternoon if she agreed to handle things while I was gone. To be honest, she deserved it for everything she did for me.

  But she didn’t ask for a raise. Instead, she gave me a cheeky grin. “Just promise me you’re not going to leave me as many notes as you left for Abby,” she said. “Or I swear, I’m going to run screaming for the hills.”

  I snorted but nodded at her. “It’s a deal,” I told her. “But seriously, you don’t have to agree to all of this right now. We don’t even know when we’ll be able to go just yet. If you want more time to think it over, that’s all right.”

  Erin shook her head as she got to her feet. “Nah,” she said. “I’ll do it. After everything you and Abby have been through with the press and this trial and everything else, you deserve some time away, just the two of you. Especially since dragging you away from this office is usually a chore in and of itself. I’m glad you’ve found someone who can get you to even think about taking a holiday.”

  I snorted and rolled my eyes, but Erin was smirking teasingly at me again. “Yeah, yeah, get out of here,” I said, flapping my hands at her. But when she was almost to the door, I added, “Thanks, Erin.”

  “Don’t mention it, boss,” she said, flashing a grin over her shoulder at me. She left, shutting the door behind her, and I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

  Chapter 22

  Abby

  I WALKED INTO THE BAR on Tuesday night and smiled when I saw that Leanne was already there, sitting by herself in a booth in the back and sipping at her drink while she scrolled through something on her phone. I dropped into the seat across from her. “Hey, you,” I said to her. It was so rare that we got these girls’ nights like this, and I didn’t want to waste a moment of it.

  Leanne grinned over at me. “Hey, yourself,” she said. “You’re late.”

  “I know, I know.” I sighed, holding up my hands apologetically. “Daniel and I were working on a game plan for the meeting we have tomorrow, and the next thing I knew, it was past time for me to leave.”

  “Oh really?” Leanne asked, raising an eyebrow at me, and I could tell from the way she was smirking that she didn’t believe me for a moment.

  I snorted and shook my head. “It’s not like that,” I told her. “We’re strictly hands off from one another while we’re at the office. Even in private.”

  “Even after everyone else has gone home?” Leanne asked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  I shrugged. “Easier to draw the lines and stick to them,” I pointed out. “Besides, you know how the media would be if they even so much as heard from someone who heard from someone that Daniel and I were behaving inappropriately around the office. They’d have a field day.”

  Leanne sighed. “Yeah. And the columns about your suitability as Daniel’s advisor have only just finally started being nice.”

  “To be honest, I haven’t been reading them,” I admitted. “I know that’s probably bad, that I should keep on top of at least everything they’re saying about me. There’s no way of knowing how that could all affect my future, after all. But I just can’t find it
in me to care about it. At the moment, I’m happy with where I am, so there’s no point in worrying how it’ll affect my future job searches.”

  “Fair enough,” Leanne said. “I think that’s a good way to look at things. And I’d let you know if there was anything in there that you really needed to know about.”

  “I know you would,” I said, smiling at her.

  “What are best friends for?” Leanne joked. “So things are going well around the office, though? Daniel isn’t overworking you, is he?”

  I shrugged again. “To be honest, he tries to get me to go home earlier than him most times. But I don’t want him to be the last person in the office every night. I think he gets that now, so he’s actually started to leave a bit earlier, too. It’s probably better for both of us that way.”

  “Definitely sounds like it,” Leanne said, nodding. “And as long as you like the work, I guess it’s not such a bad thing. Just make sure you take some time for fun as well.”

  “We do,” I told her, smiling. To be honest, things with Daniel were so much fun. More so than I could ever have imagined. We could spend hours together just doing nothing, just chatting, and it never got old. I wanted to tell her all about the trip that Daniel had hinted at, but I wanted to wait until I had more solid information about it first.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Daniel when he said that he wanted to take me away somewhere with him, that he wanted to show me the world. But I knew that arranging time off for the both of us would be problematic logistically, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case he determined that it was impossible for us. I knew just how important his business was for him, and I didn’t want to put any sort of pressure on him.

  “So what’s new with you?” I asked Leanne to change the subject slightly.