by Claire Adams
"Shit," I muttered as I walked to the desk and picked up the receiver, only to find that they hadn't yet connected the line. I looked at Leah and said, "We're locked in."
"You are kidding me," she said as she turned to the door and began pounding on it yelling, "HEY GUYS! WE'RE LOCKED IN THIS DAMN OFFICE! COME OPEN THE DOOR!"
We both listened for movement outside of the door, but when no one responded, Leah slumped against the door, looking defeated.
"I didn't do this on purpose," I said a little defensively.
"Oh, I know you didn't," she replied. "No one is that stupid."
"Hey, there's no need to get mean," I said, realizing that she was really upset. I looked at my watch and said, "I'm sure that someone will come looking for us in a bit. It's only … six thirty."
"What if everyone's gone home for the night?" she asked.
"Then the cleaning crew will find us," I replied trying to sound certain of the fact that a cleaning crew would be coming in tonight. I cursed myself silently for the tenth time for leaving my phone on my desk. I looked at Leah, who was now sitting on the floor with her back against the door and her knees drawn up to her chest. "What's really going on?"
"Nothing, I'm just upset about being locked in an office with my boss!" she shot back.
"Leah, look at me," I said as I walked over to her and held out a hand. She looked up, hesitated, and then took my hand so I could pull her off the floor. "At least sit on the couch or somewhere more comfortable, and tell me what's going on."
She sat down on the couch and dropped her head into her hands as she massaged her forehead. I could tell that she wanted to say something, but the words refused to come. I decided to be patient and wait for her to tell me what was going on.
As the minutes ticked by I could feel my anticipation—and my worry—growing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Leah
As I sat on the couch trying to figure out what to say to the man who had sparked the flames of desire in me but was also my boss, I was torn between wanting to toss everything aside to just follow the path we'd been heading down since his father's funeral and maintaining my professional demeanor so I didn't lose my job. As the war between the two raged, I felt my frustration at being trapped rising.
Trapped in a life that I hadn't chosen, but had made the best of. Trapped in a constant battle with my family. And now, trapped in a room with my boss who I desperately wanted. It all seemed like a cruel joke played by the universe, and I was sick of towing the line and being the good, responsible one.
"Jack …" I said as I looked up into his eyes and searched for a reason to let go. "I … I … I want …"
The next thing I knew, he'd leaned down and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me up off the couch and into his strong embrace. He set me on the ground and ran one hand through my hair as he held me tightly against his body. I struggled for a moment, and then let go and melted into his arms.
"Leah …" he said as he bent his head so that his mouth was inches from mine. "I need you."
My sigh was all he needed as encouragement before he pressed his lips to mine. I let go and returned his kiss as I reached up and wound my arms around his neck. Our mouths desperately tried to do what our bodies had been aching for. I felt the need welling up in me as Jack ran his fingers through my hair and down my back.
With our lips pressed together, I began unbuttoning his shirt as he removed mine before quickly dispatching with my bra. I felt him breathe in deeply as his hands cupped my breasts and began teasing my nipples. At first he rolled them between his thumb and forefinger, but as I moaned softly into his lips, he increased the pressure until I was groaning with every squeeze. He pulled away and dipped his head so that he could capture one of them between his lips. As he licked and sucked it, I pushed his shirt down his arms and dug my nails into his bare back. I heard him inhale sharply.
In rapid succession, he stripped my pants and underwear off until I was standing stark naked in the middle of the room. Jack pushed me gently backwards until I fell on the couch, looking up at him with my legs spread.
"My God, you're so beautiful," he said as he yanked his pants down and kicked them to the side. He dropped to his knees and lightly ran his fingers up the insides of my thighs as he watched my expression.
I'd never wanted anyone so much in my whole life. When his fingers reached the soft, sensitive spot between my legs, he stopped and began lightly stroking a path from top to bottom with his thumbs. I moaned as he slowly increased the pressure before splaying my lips and sliding his fingers into the slippery wet folds.
"Oh God," I groaned as he spent long moments just stroking from top to bottom while never quiet reaching my point of pleasure. The teasing was exquisite torture, and he reveled in the way my hips involuntarily moved in time with his strokes.
"You like this, don't you?" he whispered as he stopped and traced a cruel path around the outer edge before dipping back down and slipping a finger inside me.
"Oh yes," I sighed as I pushed my hips forward, trying to force him in deeper. He pulled back, keeping just out of reach and frustrating me beyond belief.
"Mmm, you're so wet," he observed as he dragged his fingers lazily up to spread the wetness around before rubbing just enough to elicit a deep groan from me.
"Jack, please!" I begged as I pushed my hips up to meet his fingers. "Please!"
"Please what?" he said, bending forward to give me a soft kiss before pulling back to await my answer.
"Please, I want you," I begged again. "I need you."
"I want you, too," he said as he slid his hand across my skin and squeezed my nipple as his fingers slid into me once again. I thought I was going to lose my mind as he teased my g-spot with his fingers. "I want you to come for me, Leah."
He lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth as he buried his fingers deeper inside me, stroking as he sucked. I let loose with what felt like one continuous moan as his thumb pressed harder and his fingers dived deeper and deeper. He stroked me insistently and I felt myself getting perilously close to the edge.
"Let go, Leah," he urged as he lifted his head and kissed me deeply. As his tongue probed mine, I felt the wave of pleasure begin to roll deep inside me, and I let go.
Two more strokes and my body was swept up in the orgasm. I let go as it washed over me. I moaned into Jack's lips as I contracted around his fingers. As I came down from the high, I looked up at him watching me and gave him a quizzical look as he pulled his hand away.
"Why stop?" I asked. "You didn't join me."
"No condoms," he said with a shrug and a grin. "I didn't want to miss that just because I wasn't prepared."
"I appreciate that," I said smiling gratefully. "That's one thing I do not need to add to the mix right now, but about you …"
I looked at him with a playful grin as I sat up and ran my fingers down his chest. He raised an eyebrow as I reached between his legs and wrapped my fingers around his engorged erection.
"Oh my," he said as I began squeezing.
"Indeed," I replied as I let go and brought my hand up to his mouth and instructed him, "Lick it."
He did as I asked and soon my hand was sliding up and down his shaft as he groaned. With my other hand I reached up and grabbed a fist full of his dark, curly hair, bringing his mouth down to mine so I could kiss him hard. I could feel his body tensing as I stroked up and down, harder and faster, and the release of pre-cum made my hand slick and slippery.
"Oh God," he moaned as I teased the tip with my thumb before stroking the underside. "Leah, I'm going to …"
He jerked in my hand and bit down on my lip as he released. I cried out in pain but held firm as I coaxed him to ride his own wave of pleasure. His lips softened, and he wrapped his arms around me as I felt him start to soften in my hand.
"That was a little quicker than I usually like," he said sheepishly.
"I didn't even notice," I replied as I kissed the side of his face and
enjoyed the warmth of his body pressed against mine.
He climbed up onto the couch and pulled me on top of him, wrapping his arms around me as he held me tightly against his bare chest.
"Are you okay?" he said as he twisted a strand of my hair around his finger.
"Mmm-hmm," I nodded as I rubbed my cheek against his chest and inhaled his musky scent. "I'm more than okay. Are you okay?"
"Oh yes," he said softly. "I'm definitely more than okay."
"We're still locked in this office, you know," I said bringing us back to reality.
"I know, I'm not sure what to do about that, but I'm sure we will figure a way to get ourselves out," he said caressing my back. "Or we'll wait until they find us. Either way, I'm okay with us being trapped here together."
I didn't quite know how to respond since my brain was swirling with all of the disastrous possibilities that could occur now that I'd officially had sex with my boss. Would I lose my job? What would happen to Riley? What would happen to me? The anxiety set in, and I could feel it building inside me.
"Leah?" Jack said. "What are you thinking?"
"Do you think we could pick the lock?" I said, pushing myself up as I looked around the room for an implement that might work.
"Oh, okay, sure," he said. I could feel his confusion at my sudden shift, but I was intently focused on trying to get us released from our prison before anyone discovered what we had done. "Let's get dressed and see what we can find."
I was up off the couch like a shot and back in my clothes in minutes. I dug through the new desk drawers and was surprised to find that they were already full of office supplies. I chose a few that I thought might work and handed them to Jack.
"What am I supposed to do with these?" he asked in a slightly irritated tone as he finished buttoning his shirt.
"Pick the lock," I said.
"Do I look like MacGyver?" he asked with a wry grin.
"Okay, good point," I said looking at the door and realizing that the hinges were on the inside. "Let's take the hinges off!"
"Now, that I can do," he nodded as he took the letter opener from me and began loosening the screws that held the hinges together. In short order, he'd taken out the hinges and we'd pulled the door away from the frame.
"Nice work, MacGyver!" I laughed as I headed for my office to grab my things. "We need to get home, or your mother and Riley will be calling the cops on us."
"God forbid they do that," he muttered as he nodded and headed for the stairs. "I'll meet you at the car in a few minutes."
Once he'd left the office, I took a deep breath and flopped down into my desk chair, wondering what in the world was going to happen next.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Jack
When we finally made our way to the car where Jimmy was waiting, I pulled him to the side and asked why he hadn't come looking for us.
"Hey, I'm not an FBI agent, kid. I'm just a driver," he shrugged before he slid into the front seat and turned the key. Jimmy's nonchalance made me wonder about my father's activities, but I decided it was better not to question things.
"Honey, you're home late," my mother said as we entered the house. "There are some plates for the two of you out in the kitchen. Do you want me to have someone warm them up?"
"No, I think we can handle it ourselves," I said as my mother gave me a questioning look, which I pretended not to see. I led Leah back to the kitchen and stuck the plates in the microwave, leaning against the counter as we waited for them to finish warming up.
"Well," Leah said uncomfortably.
"Well, indeed," I replied. I had no idea why she'd put such an abrupt end to our encounter, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I'd never had a woman pull away from me like that. Normally they were aiming to get closer, which was something that often resulted in my doing to them what Leah was doing to me now. As I made the connection, I felt a brief wave of shame roll over me. She didn't want to be close to me, and she was distancing herself so that I wouldn't get the wrong idea.
When the microwave beeped, I pulled out our plates and handed one to Leah. She grabbed it and walked to the kitchen table where she had set out silverware and glasses while we were waiting. I sat down across from her, and we ate in silence. A few times it looked like she was getting ready to say something, but then thought about it and went back to focusing on her food. I said nothing.
"I'll clean up," she said taking the plates to the sink after we'd finished. I nodded and headed upstairs.
"Hey, Jack!" Riley called as I passed the open door to her room. "What's up, homeboy?"
"Where in the world did you get that?" I laughed as I stopped and peered at the girl sprawled out on her bed, doing homework, and listening to ancient CDs.
"I found a box under the bed that said, 'Do not open upon penalty of death,' so I opened it," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I figured anyone who could kill me over it was too old to care anymore."
"I do believe you're right," I said as Eminem rapped about losing himself in the moment, and I was thrown back to a time when the song resonated. "Other than the new music, how's everything going?"
"Not bad," she said as she sat up and held out the sheet she was working on. "Wanna check this to see if I got it right?"
"Sure," I took the paper, looked it over, and saw that she was doing algebra. I found a mistake and pointed it out. "Do you know why this is a mistake?"
"Oh, wait, it's first inside outside last …" she murmured as she looked at the problem and reworked it. "Is that right?"
"Yep, that's perfect!" I nodded.
"Thanks for checking," she said as she set the sheet down and looked at me seriously. "Have you told Leah that you love her yet?"
"What?" I choked. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh please," Riley said as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm twelve, and even I can see it. You two are nuts about each other. I get it."
"What on earth …" I said as I looked at her, shocked that she was being so blunt, and a little scared that she was right.
"I'm just saying that you guys obviously like each other a whole lot," she continued, unaware of how she'd thrown me for a loop. "Just saying."
"I'm not sure Leah feels that way about me," I said cautiously. I didn't want to have a “he said—she said” conversation with Riley, but I did want to know if Leah had actually told her anything about how she felt. I wanted to kick myself as soon as the thought crossed my mind.
"Dunno," she shrugged. "Seems obvious to me, but I'm just a kid. What do I know?"
"All right, well, I'll take that into consideration," I said as I moved toward the door adding, "Good job on the math homework."
"Night, Jack," Riley said as she rolled back over and returned to her homework.
I closed the door and headed down the hall toward my mother's room. There was one more piece of the plan that I needed to put into place before I put everything into play, and my mother was the only person who could help me make it happen.
I just hoped she'd agree to the plan.
CHAPTER FORTY
Leah
I spent the night tossing and turning as I thought about what Jack and I had done in my new office. I wanted him more than ever, but I also knew that I was playing with fire. My job and my future were on the line if I continued down this path, and I couldn't afford to be another of Jack's discarded conquests.
However, there was something that struck me as different about him. He wasn't the self-centered jerk I'd thought him to be when he'd first returned to run Baby Steps. He'd done much to ensure that I had what I needed to run the warehouse effectively and efficiently, and he'd made sure to build me an office that would make it easier for me to do my job in the future.
And the way he touched me sent shivers down my spine.
I wanted to believe that there was the possibility of something more with Jack, but my common sense told me that to entertain that idea was to dance a little too close to the fire. Besides, I had a
lot of things to deal with right now. Adding a romance with a man who seemed incapable of being romantic was more than I could handle. I needed to put this crush to rest and write it off as a brief moment of weakness.
But something nagged at me. What if I was wrong? What if there really was something between us? What if I wrote it off and missed out on something wonderful?
"Argh!" I cried as I flipped my pillow over and tried to find sleep. My mind raced as I sifted through my thoughts, and suddenly I remembered a moment with Molly.
She hadn't yet started drinking or taking drugs, and she'd been getting ready for a date with a boy she really liked. I sat watching as she applied her makeup and fixed her hair, and she'd told me all the secrets that high school girls seemed to magically know.
"You know, Leah," she said swiping mascara onto her impossibly long lashes. "If a boy really likes you, he'll make sure he takes care of all of your needs before he takes care of his own."
"Like giving you the last sip of soda?" I asked as I bounced up and down on her bed.
"Something like that," she smiled. "Just remember when you get older and you want to kiss boys, that they're good if they make sure you feel good first."
"Ewwww," I said, sticking my tongue out and scrunching up my face. "Why would I ever want to kiss a boy?"
"Someday, you might," she said as she dabbed lipstick on and pressed her lips together. "Just promise me you'll remember."
"I promise," I said as I watched her run a brush through her long, dark hair. She was the most beautiful girl I knew, and I absorbed every one of her actions, trying to memorize them so that I could repeat them later.
Molly smiled as she stood up, straightened her shirt and smoothed her skirt, and then patted me on the head before dropping her lipstick into her purse and tossing it over her shoulder. She headed down the hallway and out to the front porch.
"Where the hell are you going?" Mama yelled as Molly and I walked quickly past the family room where Mama sat smoking and watching television.