“You want me to come again, is that it?” I asked. I slid a finger between her lips and holy shit, she was still so drenched. “Jesus woman you get wet so easily,” I said and pushed my aching cock into her.
“Mmmmmm,” she said when I’d filled her completely. “I want you to fuck me hard. Really hard,” she said.
A shudder ran through my body at her words. She didn’t need to ask twice. I grabbed her hips and crashed into her, slamming my body into hers over and over as she threw her head back and screamed at the ceiling. I didn’t last long like that but then, neither did she. In moments we were gasping and shivering and totally spent.
Curled in the hollow of my shoulder and stroking her way up and down my chest she said, “Stay the night.” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a demand. It was a statement and I was happy to oblige.
The next morning I woke first, grabbed a quick shower then headed to the kitchen to see what kind of breakfast I could scrounge up. The kitchen was surprisingly well stocked and in under fifteen minutes I had the batter mixed for my world famous gingerbread waffles. Appropriate for Christmas morning, I’d say.
“Mmmm! What’s that delicious smell?” Serene asked as she stumbled into the kitchen, hair a mess and lips red and swollen from too many kisses but still absolutely gorgeous.
“Waffles,” I said. “And you’re just in time.” I plopped two on a plate for her and refilled the waffle maker with the rest of the batter.
“Did you make these?” she asked, nose to the plate. “They smell like cookies!”
“Taste like them too,” I said
She forked a small piece and popped it between her lips. Her eyes rolled as she savored the spicy, gingery confection masquerading as breakfast food. “They do!” Serene said and shoveled in another bite.
I smiled watching her devour the waffles I hadn’t made since Natasha. It was strange. I hadn’t thought much about what it would feel like to be with someone after her, mostly because I never expected it to happen. But the ease I felt around Serene, the way I could envision myself completely falling for her, brought a bittersweet ache to my heart. It also prompted me to ask rather awkwardly, “So, um, when do you head back home?”
“Tomorrow,” she said, mouth still full of waffle.
“And, where is home?” I asked. I know, I know. I said I was going to let it be whatever it was going to be. But I had to know if this had potential for something more than one fantastic night.
Serene put her fork down and looked at me. “I was hoping to keep this here in Aspen and remember you as the perfect Christmas present.”
I nodded. Couldn’t blame me for asking. “Well, in that case, you need to hurry up with those waffles because I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk straight so you’ll really have something to remember.”
Chapter Eleven
Serene
“WHAT IS THE MEANING of this?” Franklin, the perpetually yelling marketing VP screamed over the phone. “How do you expect me to get anything done when you’ve got half my staff tied up in meetings with Reed all day? Doesn’t he have better things to do than to bother my people?”
First call of the day. Fantastic. The pre-Aspen me would have put a stop to Franklin’s tantrum right there, correcting his attitude by assuring him that Mr. Reed knew how to manage his time and that he needed to figure out how to do the same. I said none of those things, choosing instead to recount my last morning with Jeffrey, as Franklin continued to spool up his rage.
“I know you don’t want anything more but I want you to know this is not something I normally do,” Jeffrey said, cradling me in his arms after he’d made me come so hard I left marks across his back. “I also want you to know if our paths cross again, all bets are off.” He peered into me, eyes ablaze with heat as he whispered the words.
I nodded, the tiniest part of me hoping we would find each other again.
“Well? Don’t you have anything curt and cold to say for yourself?” Franklin’s jab snapped me back into reality.
He wanted curt and cold. Fine by me. “You do understand the hierarchy here, yes?”
“What the hell does that mean?” he yelled so loud I wondered if others on the floor could hear him.
“It means, Mr. Franklin, that you have a habit of speaking to me unprofessionally. It also means that your boss and the owner of this company, Mr. Reed has noticed and is curious about whether you speak to those in your department the same way.”
“I—well, you know how stressful it is around the holidays and you have to understand—”
I could almost hear the squealing wheels of his backpedal.
“Let me stop you right there, Mr. Franklin as I care very little about whatever you’re going to say next. Mr. Reed answers to no one. If he wants to pull your entire department into a meeting without your consent, he has the right to do so because your department is his department. Is that clear?” I asked as I compiled my to-do list for the day. I didn’t have nearly as much catching up to do as I thought I would. I made a note to send Rachel a gift for keeping everything together while I was away.
“Crystal clear,” he snarled and slammed the phone down in my ear.
Not how I wanted to start off my first day back.
The door to Mr. Reed’s office opened just as I’d set down the phone and I caught the last bits of his conversation with the pretty, young marketing rep. “Take all the time you need. And again, I’m very sorry this has been going on for so long. I’ll deal with it quickly and severely.” The teary-eyed woman exited the office and made a beeline for the elevator.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Mr. Reed said when he finally came out. He dragged a hand across his tired features. “Get in touch with HR. Franklin is to be let go immediately.”
I nodded, adding that to the top of my list. “Severance?” I asked and emailed HR for the proper forms.
“Absolutely not.”
“Reason for dismissal?” I already knew all the question HR would ask.
“Gross misconduct and inappropriate behavior with employees under his charge.”
I nodded as I took notes. “HR will want documentation.”
“I’ve already got someone on that, you just get the paperwork started.”
“Of course, sir,” I said as I began filling out the e-forms HR had just sent over. Mr. Reed hovered over my desk as I clicked away at my keys. “Was there something else, sir?” I asked, looking up at him.
The weariness on his features softened. “Did you enjoy Aspen?”
“I did, sir. Thank you very much for the flight. How did Cass like the book?”
Landon Reed smiled, erasing the weeks of poor sleep and worry on his face. “She liked it so much she knew I didn’t pick it out. She said to thank you for her.”
I smiled. “Of course, sir.” I finished the Dismissal Request and sent it to HR.
The hours wore on and while I was quite busy, my mind kept wandering back to Jeffrey and our time together. His big hands on my body, teasing and coaxing sweet shivers and tingles from me, his piercing eyes that seemed to look into me, through all the walls and artifice I’d spent so long building. How easy it was to be with him, how comfortable I felt, and how more comfortable it would have been if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with making sure it didn’t go any further than one night.
I sighed wondering if I’d wasted an opportunity. I shook off the feeling, telling myself the likelihood that he was even on the same coast, let alone the same state was slim. Still, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like if I’d let him take it further.
“I’m out for long lunch with Cass,” Mr. Reed said as he closed his office door behind him.
I switched screens, checking his schedule. “Take as long as you like, you don’t have another meeting until three.”
“Thank you, Serene.” He paused a moment shrugging into his coat. “It’s nice having you back. Rachel did well but you know what I need before I do. You’ve spoiled
me.” Landon Reed left before I could say thank you.
I finished what I was working on, tidied my desk and ordered a sandwich from the bistro on the first floor of the building. Usually, I’d work through lunch but today I let myself daydream while waiting for my food. Of course my thoughts immediately went to Jeffrey, the strong chest I was so fond of petting, the way I felt in his arms when he wrapped them around me, how he seemed to know exactly how to make me come so easily. Before I knew it I was flushed and hot with the memories of our time together. I shifted in my seat, hoping to relieve the sudden pressure between my legs. It didn’t help. I toyed with the idea of relieving it myself in the ladies room. I had I private one after all. But I just couldn’t do that in the workplace.
Instead, I dove back into the scheduling, paperwork, and emails, and waited for my sandwich to be delivered.
It was two-thirty when the elevator dinged announcing Mr. Reed’s return. The doors opened mid-conversation. “I’m excited to see what insights you have. I can’t believe Cass waited so long to introduce us.”
“I’m happy to help in any way I can,” said a voice so familiar a chill ran up my spine.
“Ah, Serene, this is Mr. Webb, Cass’s doctoral adviser. He’ll be doing some consulting work for the next few weeks. Contact HR to get a contract for him if you wouldn’t mind.”
I heard Mr. Reed’s words, every one of them. I heard them but I couldn’t believe them even though he was standing right in front of me. My mouth went dry and my heart raced like it wanted to escape at the sight of him. Those blue eyes drilling into me, that boyish smile playing across his lips, those big hands.
Chapter Twelve
Jeffrey
I COULDN’T HELP BUT smile. Hell, it took everything I had not to bust out in a schoolboy, ear-to-ear grin. If falling down a mountain with her hadn’t been a clear enough go-ahead from the universe, meeting her boss and showing up at her office had to be.
Okay, Natasha. I get it. You approve.
“Serene, are you all right?” Reed asked. I didn’t blame him. She’d gone stark white, color draining from even her lips. Her skin was pale, but her gray eyes darkened with what I knew to be lust.
She recovered and plastered on a fake smile. “Yes, sorry, sir.”
Reed was a sharp guy and sure to notice something was off. “Do you two know each other?” he asked.
Serene’s cheeks erupted with a crimson blush. “I—we, well...”
“We met in Aspen, actually,” I chimed in. “I nearly killed her with my poor skiing.”
Relief flooded Serene’s face as she nodded in agreement.
“Ah, okay then. Let’s hammer out some of the details, shall we?”
I followed the young CEO into his office but not before throwing a wink at Serene.
“I realize we’ll have to work around your class schedule,” Reed began as we were seated on either side of his desk. “Is there a day that works best for you?”
“I’m free Tuesdays and Thursdays after ten a.m. this semester.” I only had one class those days and it was first thing in the morning.
“Excellent. I’ll have an office readied and you’ll have access to any and all data you need.” He leaned forward to press a button on the phone. “Serene, could you get Mr. Webb an access card, please?”
“Of course, sir.”
Just the sound of her voice through the speaker brought all the filthy things we did crashing back. The slow, easy way she rode me in the hot tub on Christmas morning, her curves dipping in and out of the water and how I had to snatch her off and throw her over my shoulder before I came too quickly. Watching pleasure crease her forehead and make her scream as I made her come over and over. I could almost taste her as the memories and images flooded over me.
“You in there, Webb?”
“Yeah, sorry. Must still have vacation brain. What were you saying?”
We worked out the rest of the details in short order and then Reed escorted me out of his office. “I’ve got a three o’clock appointment to meet downstairs. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do for this company, Webb.” He shook my hand, then hurried by me, taking the exit marked STAIRS.
“Me too,” I said to myself. Economics, specifically as it applied to marketing trends and the global economy was a quick and easy way to ratchet up quarterly earnings in a very short time. The idea of helping Reed was exciting, although, I was more excited about finding Serene again. I glanced in the direction of her desk. Her empty desk. I sighed. She wasn’t getting away that easily. I scanned the floor looking for any place she might have gotten off to. “Bingo,” I said when I saw the door marked BREAK ROOM. I eased the door open and there she was, back to me, fixing a cup of tea.
I took the opportunity to revel in the sultry curves her pencil skirt showed off. I lingered over the swell of her ass, balls tightening at thought of her naked and bent over the counter. “I regretted not getting your full name. But the universe seems to keep pairing us up.”
She spun around, surprise clear on her face but lust clear in her eyes. She wanted this as much as I did. I closed the distance between us, pinning her to the counter with my hips. “I promised you that if I saw you again all bets were off.” I bent down, lacing my fingers in her honey-blond hair and kissed her. Slow, sweet, and full of all the hope I had for what our lives could be with each other, my lips pressed to hers. She moaned, melting into me, grabbing at my shirt.
The kiss built to a panting, heaving crescendo and then Serene pushed me away.
“I’m sorry,” she said, flushed and breathless. “I—I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?” I asked softly as I laid a gentle kiss on her cheek.
She pushed me away again, this time hard enough to make me step back. She straightened her blouse and looked me dead in the eyes. “I can’t get involved with you. Not while we work for the same company. I can’t and I won’t,” she said firmly as she crossed her arms.
I wasn’t expecting. Why would our paths keep crossing if I wasn’t supposed to pursue her?
I looked at her a long time. She was serious, very serious. But there was something else written on her features that I couldn’t quite place. Fear? Nervousness? Worry? I wasn’t sure. “I can respect that,” I said which cleared the creases from her brow. “But you should know my contract is only for a few weeks.” I stepped into her again. “The moment it’s up...” I let my thought trail off as I peered deep into her eyes, putting every filthy thing I could think of into my gaze.
A small squeak left her as she flushed once more under the weight of my stare.
The weeks of longing stares, of grazing each other as we passed in the halls and of me jerking off in the shower every night imagining her instead of my fist went by tortuously slow. But I was able to keep my promise and didn’t pursue Serene at all. On the last day of my contract, I had every intention of making good on my other unspoken promise, after presenting my findings to Reed, of course.
Reed leaned back in his chair, digesting what I’d said. “It’s a lot to take on.”
I nodded. “It is. But I’m projecting a thirty percent rise in profit if you manipulate the Chinese market to maximize growth.”
Reed took a long moment to mull over the figures. “Well, we’ll have to extend your contract. I’ll need you to oversee all the changes to make sure it goes according to your plan.”
My stomach dropped.
“At least until the end of the quarter,” he said.
March? He wanted me to stay until March!? There was no way I could hold out for three months. No way in hell. “Executing changes isn’t really my area of expertise,” I said smoothly.
“I’ll double your fee. Triple it. I don’t care, I just want your ass here watching my back when everything changes.”
“Mr. Reed, I don’t think you understand. I’m a numbers guy. A theoretical numbers guy at that. Personnel involvement isn’t really my forte.”
“Nonsense. You’re a teache
r, Webb. You corral college kids every day. You can handle a few department heads.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair again. “What’s this really about?” he asked.
Reed was more astute than I was comfortable with. I couldn’t very well tell him I didn’t want to extend the contract because I wanted to bang the living hell out of his assistant. I sighed, resigning myself to sharing most of the truth with him. “Honestly, I could really use the money but I just can’t leave my students like that. I’m a tenured professor. The university would be hard-pressed to find a replacement. Plus, I don’t even know if my contract with them allows me an easy way out.” The last I added for good measure.
Reed nodded. “Flexible schedule. You could work remotely or only when it doesn’t interfere with your class schedule. Whatever it takes, Webb. I want you overseeing this.”
I shook my head. I really could use the extra cash. Every bit of income not earmarked for living expenses had gone to paying off Natasha’s medical bills leaving me with zero savings. Just the few weeks I’d moonlighted here had gone a long way to remedying that but more money was better, right?
Not if it cost me a chance with Serene.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I said standing to put a visible period on my wishes.
“Very well.” Reed rose as well, extending a hand. “Let me know as soon as possible.”
Chapter Thirteen
Serene
ON THE LAST DAY OF Jeffrey’s contract I took an uncharacteristic out-of-office lunch break. It was just to the bistro downstairs but there was no way I was making this call at my desk.
“What do you mean you said no!” Tammy cawed over the phone to me. I could almost picture her red lips in a perfect O as she asked the question.
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