by Lauren Wood
“Hi, baby,” he greeted me, his voice gruff and stricken with stress and frustration. “What does your schedule look like today?”
It felt good having him ask for my schedule. It made me feel like I was a legitimate business woman, like I was someone from the television shows where you couldn’t see them because they were constantly busy. I was going in the right direction, and I was happy for it even if it had been the downfall of my future and potential marriage.
The name Drew flashed in my mind. That was a name I’d hardly thought about since the break up. Maybe I’d never had any real feelings for him. After all, I hadn’t even bothered to check up on him or try to amend things, and it was because I didn’t care. I had other things that were occupying my mind, but, obviously he’d felt different. I saw the messages he’d sent me, even if they were few and far in between.
He was just checking up on me although I didn’t know if it was because he wanted to get back together or if he was just nice. Regardless, we’d broken up, and although I wasn’t heartbroken, I didn’t want anything more to do with him. I wasn’t a huge fan of looking back on the past. So, I’d ignored them. As far as I was concerned, that chapter had ended in my book.
“I always have time for you, daddy,” I told him, with a grin on my face, focusing entirely on the call, considering the fact that I hadn’t been able to do such when it came to work.
“Good,” he told me, easily. “Then, I’d like to invite you down for dinner, at the estate.”
A nice home-cooked meal by Veronica, his head chef, was always something that sounded good to me. Her food was like velvet, soft and delicious. I could never get enough of it, quite literally, since I’d moved out. But, it was strange for him to invite me on a work day as opposed to a weekend. “What’s the occasion?” I asked him.
“I have to have an occasion to spend time with my daughter?” He was trying to sound innocent, but I could see right past him. Still, I didn’t comment on it. I would find out, soon enough.
“No, I suppose not,” I answered and shrugged although he couldn’t see it. “What time should I be over?”
“At six, dinner will be served.”
“And what clothes should I wear?”
Usually when we had these big, extravagant dinners, my father invited over his business partners, tycoons, who we felt the need to impress. So, I always dressed extremely formal. The last thing I wanted was to look unprofessional in front of anyone that I might encounter again in the business world, despite how slim the chance actually was.
“It’s just you and me, baby,” he told me. “Just dress how you want.”
Even then I knew better than to show up in sweats and a casual shirt and call it an outfit. My father, when he said that, still meant I had to be presentable, even if it was only in front of him. That was one of the first lessons that he’d taught me even before I’d started considering business to be my career.
“Okay.” I nodded.
“Well, I have work, but I’ll see you then.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Goodbye.”
“Bye, daddy.”
The line ended.
By the time that I was happy with the progress that I’d made, it was already nearing dinner time. Had I completely skipped out on lunch? When was the last time that I’d invested so much into a project that time flew just like that?
That was the thing that I loved the most about business. It was a job that I enjoyed doing, so much so, that time was quick around me. I didn’t focus on anything else, and I loved that. It could hardly even be classified as a job, at that point. It was just a hobby that I was paid for.
And no hobbies were better than that.
I went home and glanced over myself in the mirror. There, really, was no reason to change out of the clothes that I already had on. The grey dress pants were nice and cute, and the white blouse fit with it, effortlessly, especially when it was paired with the black heels. So, I left that alone.
The only thing that I did change was my hair. It had been pulled up into a ponytail the entire day, and I wanted to let it breathe. So, I removed the scrunchy and watched my auburn locks fall against my back and breathed out an air of relief. I scratched my head before using a brush and moving it into a side part.
I applied some more lip gloss and then grabbed my car keys and drove over to my dad’s estate. As usual, Donovan, the valet, was waiting for me. He took my keys and drove my car over to one of the garages as I walked in.
Dinner smelled heavenly, and I was instantly drawn to the dining room. Dad was already sitting at the head of the massive table, and I grinned when I saw him.
“Daddy,” I greeted before walking over. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He hugged me back before I released him and took a seat on his right.
I was his right hand woman, after all. There was nobody that he could count on more than me. Other than maybe, Jordan. But, that was something I needed to keep very far from my mind, tonight, for my own sake.
Dinner was brought out, and my dad didn’t wait to jump right into the reason I was here. “What’s going on between you and Jordan?” I froze, for a second. Did he know? There wasn’t a single way. Maybe, he was just curious.
I laughed. “Me and Jordan?” I repeated, coyly. “Other than us annoying each other with business, nothing.”
“But, it seems like…”
“Trust me, daddy,” I interrupted him. “Jordan’s your friend, and he’s ten years older than me. There are plenty of fish in the sea that haven’t known you for years and that are closer to my age. Why would I go after Jordan?”
“And he hasn’t gone after you?”
I snorted. “Do you know his reputation?”
Dad nodded, seemingly accepting my words, and I let out a breath. Him finding out was the last thing that either, Jordan or I, wanted. If he was beginning to pick up on the trail, that was bad.
15
Jordan
This thing between Cat and I needed to come to an end. I was still on edge about the fact that we’d been spotted, at the restaurant, by her father. That wasn’t good, and the worst part was that I knew he was aware that something was brewing between his daughter and myself. Had he thought it was business or just a drink between friends, he would have made his way over and joined us because we wouldn’t have minded.
But he was right with the assumption that he’d made. Us meeting hadn’t had anything to do with business or talking about the company that we were preparing to own together. It was a date, and he’d known that. That was the reason that he’d slipped away before Cat could see him.
Too bad it hadn’t stopped me from seeing him as well.
What was he going to do to me? I was in a constant state of fear, waiting for my phone to ring, and when it did, being scared out of my life to answer it. But, it was never Mark, which was surprising. Instead, it was an associate, family, or a bill collector.
Why hadn’t Mark called me? He’d seen the two of us together, so why hadn’t he given me a tongue lashing yet? Or was it all just in my head? Maybe he’d seen us, but he hadn’t cared because he really had thought that it was a meeting with friends and hadn’t been able to join us because of his prior work engagements.
But, then again, Mark wasn’t an idiot. Just because he hadn’t called me yet didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to. If he knew something then my impending doom was on its way. All because I couldn’t keep my hands off of his daughter.
What man could? What man could look at Cat and not want her? Everything about her was so delectable, so, just, fucking perfect. I couldn’t not want her if I tried, and having a taste of her was the worst thing that I could have done. It showed me a side of things that I wasn’t ready to stop seeing.
But, I would if that was what Mark wanted. And knowing Mark, that was what he wanted.
My phone tinged, so I looked at it, that now-familiar fear of it being Mark rising in my throat
. But, it wasn’t anyone but the red headed goddess that my mind was so wrapped around. “Cat.” I sighed under my breath when I saw that she’d sent me a message.
In all honesty, I should have been staying far away from this girl, but I couldn’t let myself. I wanted her too much not to be near her constantly. I sighed. This addiction really was starting to become a huge problem. But, as for right now, I would just continue to indulge in it.
Cat: I happened to have found myself in this amazing janitorial closet, in your building on the third floor. It’s pretty discreet for some fun activities if you know what I’m saying ;) I’ll only be here for twenty minutes, and if you’re not here then I suppose that I’ll help myself. See you soon.
My dick immediately strained against my pants. What was this woman doing to me? I was sitting here, trying to get her out of my head, and she’d been invited back in, ten fold. I shouldn’t engage, I knew that. But my two heads were having completely different thoughts, and the battle between them was intense.
In the end, I relented. I got up and walked out of my office. My secretary, Jenna, was waiting at her desk, as she usually did. She’d been working with me for years, and I enjoyed her help. Her head rose, as she looked at me and offered me a huge smile.
Another thing about Jenna was the fact that she’d had a crush on me for the past two years, but it was never something that I’d indulged in. I made it a habit not to get involved with the people that I worked with. It had always been my golden rule, but allowing for personal matters to intertwine with business matters resulted in a huge mess.
And, I didn’t want anything messy when it came to my business.
Yet, here I was, ignoring my golden rule, as I’d done several times because of this one woman. But, there was something about Cat that I just couldn’t shake. I didn’t have the ability and I didn’t want to. I wished that we didn’t work together, that she wasn’t Mark’s daughter, but those things couldn’t be changed.
But, were they important anymore? Mark was important to me. We were like family, and he was the father that I’d never had. The last thing that I wanted to do was betray that trust and have our relationship fall into shambles. Was I willing to risk that just because I wanted her so badly?
What did Cat mean to me? Was she just someone that I was casually sleeping with because it suited me? But, if that were the case, wouldn’t I be able to shake her off? And, I definitely would have let her go if she was interfering with work as much as she was. So, she wasn’t some casual thing to me.
She meant something more.
But that thought terrified me. I didn’t want to think about it. She couldn’t mean more to me. I wouldn’t let her. She was already such a distraction, and I was working on building an empire. I couldn’t do that if my thoughts were constantly on that beautiful redhead.
This thing between us had to end. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. This had to be the end of us.
But one more time wouldn’t hurt.
“Where are you going, Mr. Ashford?” Jenna asked me sweetly, looking at me from behind the large computer screen that she had. I noticed that she had done more makeup than usual and her hair was fixed, which was unusual for her. Was she trying to get me to notice her? And, even if she was, didn’t she realize that getting involved with me meant that I would be forced to demote her?
“I have some personal matters to attend to. I should be back within the next hour.” I hesitated. Was that enough time? When it was Cat and I, it really may not be. “Actually, make that two hours. If I get any calls or messages during this time, simply forward them, and I’ll return everything when I get back.”
“And your meeting in an hour?” she asked me, typing everything that I was telling her.
“Push it back another hour.”
“Oh, sir,” she started. “It’s been pushed back about four times already. They’re starting to get a little bit impatient.”
“I’m Jordan Ashford,” I reiterated. “They’ll wait.”
When had I gotten so behind on work? I hadn’t even known that I had a meeting today, lest that it had been pushed back so many times. Where had my mind been that I wasn’t able to keep up with my existing companies? And now I was adding in a new one. How was I supposed to manage all of them and whatever this relationship thing with Cat was.
I had always had this arrogant air about me and it was because of my name and the man who had mentored me. It allowed for me to be cocky, to an extent. But, that also didn’t mean that I should be ruining relationships with clients that I’d had for a long time. It was okay knowing that I was a force to be reckoned with, but I couldn’t be rude.
I had a name. I needed to protect it.
“Take them out to lunch when they get here, and let them get whatever they want, off the menu. Pay for it with the business card.”
Whenever I had an issue, I used the company business card to get out of it. It wasn’t that I thought money could solve all issues, but it could definitely help. Even if they had to wait, at least they were getting some good, expensive food out of it. And that was what mattered the most.
“I’ll do so,” she told me, beaming.
With that, I took my leave, glancing at my clock and realizing that it’d been almost fifteen minutes since Cat had sent me the original message. She hadn’t left, had she? She did say that she was giving me twenty minutes, but knowing Cat, she would be quick to change her mind if I kept her waiting long enough.
Then I thought about her threat. If I walked in, and she was touching herself, I’d be thrilled. It was a sight that I was more than happy to see, especially considering that I’d had yet to see it. I could only imagine how she’d look, bent over the desk, her hands exploring her lower regions, her stunning red hair cascading over her shoulders. It was a sight that I was actually pretty eager to see.
Which may have been why I took my sweet time before opening the janitorial door.
“Took you long enough,” Cat said and rolled her eyes once I walked in. She had stripped into just her underwear and bra although, unfortunately, she wasn’t touching herself, which was what I’d been hoping to see. “I was waiting in here a long time.”
“I’m a busy man.”
“Never too busy for me.”
Unfortunately, she was right. “Never.”
She crashed our lips together, and the battle of the tongues began. She rolled her hips against me, feverishly, as if she hadn’t been with me in a very long time. And, I couldn’t help but to give her everything that she was asking for.
I unbuckled my pants and let them fall before stepping out of them. Before I could remove her underwear, Cat was getting onto her knees and plunged my cock into her warm, sweet mouth. I let out a groan of absolute pleasure and rested my head against the back of the wall. My hands resisted the urge to get tangled into her hair.
“This is exactly the reason my father thought we were seeing each other,” she commented before trying to wrap her lips back around me. But, my eyebrows furrowed, and I grabbed her head before turning it to look at me.
“What did you just say?”
“My dad thought we were together,” she stated, nonchalantly. “So, he called me to dinner.”
My heart dropped. “And what did you say?”
“That we weren’t, obviously.” She frowned. “What’s up with you?”
“We should stop.”
“Stop what?” Then she grinned. “Talking? I agree.”
She tried to go back down, but I didn’t let her. “No, stop this.” I gestured between us. “Whatever it is.”
“What?!” she exclaimed. “Why?”
“Because we almost got caught,” I explained. “And if your dad finds out, that’s it. The end of the business deal, and I know you want that as little as I do.”
“You can’t end this.”
“Why?” I asked, confused.
“Because I won’t let you.”
Her lips wrapped back around my cock,
and I couldn’t resist her. I pulled her up and plunged myself into her and began to move, ferociously.
This was it. This would be the last time.
16
Cat
Had he been serious when he tried to break things off yesterday? My foot was tapping against the ground, and I was biting on the end of my pencil, a nervous habit that I’d thought I’d broken a long time ago although I’d, obviously, been very wrong. It came back as soon as the nerves did.
I was being forced to acknowledge the feelings that I was beginning to harbor for Jordan. This wasn’t just some one night stand. It was so much more than that, and I was sure of that now. He meant more to me than just someone who happened to be good in bed.
Although even I had to admit that he was a god when it came to anything that included a romp in the sack. He felt phenomenal, and last night had furthered that even though I’d always known it about him.
My memories began to go back to what had happened between the two of us in that janitorial closet.
It was hard to stay quiet in the cramped space that Jordan had been fucking me in. Everywhere I moved, I was either touching a broom or a mop, and I had no idea why I even felt the need to pick this as our next sexy location. But, there had been something so forbidden about it, so interesting that I hadn’t been able to stop myself when I passed by the door.
Why had I been there, originally? It hadn’t been to engage in such acts with Jordan. It had simply been because there was something that I needed to have his input on, about the company that we were about to be partners on.
But, I’d walked by that closet and gotten sidetracked, especially when I thought about all of the things that he could do to me, in that closet, how easily he could fuck me, and the amount of effort that it would take me to keep my mouth shut. And, for some reason, all of that had succeeded in turning me on, even if I hadn’t wanted to admit it.
There was something so forbidden and so exciting about doing it in the public, with the chance that you could get caught. It was the thrill and the adrenaline of it all, and I hadn’t been able to push it aside. My hand had been shaking when I sent him the message, although I wasn’t sure why.