by Sabre Rose
“Look at me,” he said again, and I lifted my gaze from where I had been watching him, roaming over his toned stomach and chest until I met his eyes. They were dark and hungry. I was tight and tender. He kept his gaze fixed on me as he pushed inside, inch by inch, allowing me to feel the fullness, the hardness of him again. I cried out, gasping when he roughly plunged in the remaining few inches. Then he just lay there, against me, inside me, his forehead pressed to mine, his eyes blurred and dizzying with their closeness.
“I like watching you come,” he whispered. “Your cheeks flame red, your eyes glaze over and your mouth—” He claimed mine hungrily, then tore away. “Words cannot explain what your mouth does to me.”
And then he kissed me gently, grazing my lips with his teeth, teasing my tongue with his own. The tenderness and tightness of my recent release began to relax and I squirmed beneath him, begging for him to move instead of trapping my body with his own. He chuckled at my eagerness and relaxed, pushing me deeper into the couch, allowing his hardness further inside but still not giving me the friction I now ached for. After a few more moments of this tender torture, he rose to his knees, lifting my legs into the air and hooking them over his shoulders. This allowed him deeper access and I gasped once again as he plunged inside, giving me no warning of the power of his thrust. He rocked in and out, slowly at first so I could feel the ridges of his girth, the fullness of his length before he slipped from me, leaving just the tip hovering. Then he began the gentle assault again, sliding himself in slowly before powerfully plunging the last few inches. He repeated this over and over until he unhooked my legs from his shoulders and slid his hands down to the back of my thighs, pressing them wide to my stomach, giving him unfettered access.
His eyes were no longer locked on mine. They were stuck where our bodies joined. And then he slammed into me, his grunts in time with my muffled moans. I tightened. Pleasure built once again.
In feeling me wrap tighter around him, Tyler withdrew himself and bent down to put his mouth where his cock had just been. He lapped at me hungrily and I struggled to breathe as the sensation to come conflicted with the pressure of my thighs pressed roughly to my chest. I bucked, but Tyler held me firmly in place, his tongue teasing and lapping. I strained, my back arching as I exploded once again, flopping back onto the couch as Tyler continued his assault until I went limp. When he rose, he wiped his hand across his mouth, before plunging his hard cock back inside. My limbs were jelly. My body rippled as he pounded into me. His gaze locked on my heaving breasts which jerked with each thrust until he tensed and pushed harder, causing me to whimper as he exploded, the spurts of his come coming out in pulses.
***
I’m not sure how I got from the couch to the bed, but I woke the next morning with the sun streaming in the window dotted with leftover rain, and alone. I expected to turn over and find Tyler beside me, his glorious body stretched between the dark sheets. I wanted the opportunity to study him without his knowledge, but he wasn’t there. I was naked, so I slipped on the t-shirt I wore the night before and headed out to the kitchen, giving a cursory glance around the loft to check for occupants. But neither Tyler nor Jake were there. Gentle jazz music drifted from the sound system and a freshly brewed pot of coffee sat on the thick marble benchtop. Sauntering over to the sound system, I turned the music up louder, searched the fridge for some bacon and eggs, the pantry for some tomatoes and grabbed a frying pan out of the cupboard. I was in the middle of frying the bacon, careful not to let the splatters of fat hit my bare thighs when the elevator groaned and the door opened. I thought it would be Tyler.
It wasn’t.
She had her back to me as she walked in, dry cleaning draped in a clear bag over one shoulder, an oversized gym bag slung over the other. “No need to thank me,” she said, dumping the suit over the edge of the couch. “I’m more than happy to stop mid-workout just to collect your dry-cleaning. No need to thank me at all.” She bent down and started rifling through her gym bag, pulling out clothing and tossing it over her shoulder. She was dressed in yoga pants, a crop top, and a light rain jacket. Her hair was piled into a messy bun on her head, strands falling out to frame her face. She looked like a sports model. Tall. Blonde. Tanned. Undeniably beautiful. She also seemed strangely at home in Tyler’s loft.
“I’ve shifted a few things around for this weekend like you asked, but you’re still going to have to have that meeting with your father and Wilson. They are quite insistent.” High heeled shoes fell to the floor. “Shit. I forgot a towel. Oh, and I’m using your shower.”
She stopped talking and got to her feet, finally turning to face me. She blinked a few times, her eyebrows furrowing together before a brilliant smile spread over her face.
“You must be Lauren.” She walked towards me, hand extended, the wide smile still plastered on her face. I didn’t smile back and shook her hand hesitantly. Her eyes suddenly grew wide. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “This is not what it looks like, I promise.”
“And what does this look like?” I asked, withdrawing my hand from her tight grasp and pulling the hem of my t-shirt down further.
“Like I’m fucking Tyler.”
I blinked at her bluntness.
“I’m not,” she assured me. “I’m his assistant, Sadie.”
8
LAUREN
Tyler had only mentioned Sadie a few times in passing and, because of the way he spoke about her, her mothering tendencies, her bossiness, her strict attention to the job, I had wrongly pictured an older woman. Someone motherly. Grandmotherly perhaps. Sadie was anything but.
She stuck her hand out again. “Sadie Anderson. I’ve heard so much about you.”
My gaze flicked down to her extended hand but I didn’t take it. Sadie laughed. “I guess we’ve already done the handshake thing, huh. My bad. It probably doesn’t help that I’m all sweaty and I’ve hardly got any clothes on.” Her eyes fell to my naked legs and I tugged my shirt down further. “Mind you, you’re not doing much better.”
“I wasn’t expecting visitors.”
“Didn’t Tyler tell you I was coming over?” Her eyes travelled from my legs back to my face as I shook my head. “Arsehole. He asked me to pick up his dry cleaning. I don’t know why it was so urgent. I mean, he has, like, hundreds of suits. I don’t know why he needed this one so urgently.” She sighed, leaning against the kitchen bench, watching as the bacon crisped in the pan. “But I guess that’s my job, isn’t it? Fetch. Do as I’m told. Yes, sir. No, sir. Three bags full, sir.” She plucked a piece of bacon from the pan and popped it straight into her mouth, not even blinking at the scalding heat. “Where is he, anyway? He’s usually done by now.”
Done with what? I wanted to ask, but that would have been admitting I had no idea where he was. Sadie walked back to where her bag was dumped on the floor, picking up the clothes she had discarded to greet me. “Tell him I’m here.” And then she sauntered into the bathroom as though she owned the place. Or, at least as though she had done it many times before.
When Tyler finally walked in the door, the bacon, eggs, and tomatoes were ready and sitting on a plate and I had pants on. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, he was covered in sweat, a towel slung around his neck.
“Morning,” he greeted as he walked across the floor. He took my cheeks between his hands and pressed a firm kiss to my lips, a smacking sound filling the air. “I’ll just have a shower and then we’ll eat, okay? Feel free to have yours though. No need to wait for me.”
I looked down at the plates, no longer caring whether the food was hot or not, as Tyler walked towards the bedroom. Catching the dry cleaning out of the corner of his eye, he changed direction to collect it.
“Sadie came, I take it?”
“You could say that,” I replied, dragging a stool out from the bench and plonking myself onto it. “She’s in the shower.”
“Huh.” Tyler hung his suit on the back of the bedroom door. “I guess I will be eating first, after all.” H
e sat beside me and plucked some bacon from his plate, tearing a piece off with his teeth. “I was going to cook. I didn’t expect you to.”
“Good,” I replied. “Because I’m not that good at it.”
Tyler shrugged. “Tastes great to me.”
He clearly thought nothing odd about another woman using his shower. He sat beside me, chewing each mouthful, oblivious to the thoughts that were stampeding through my mind.
“Where were you?” I asked.
Tyler glanced at me sideways. “Sorry, I should have left a note or something. I’ve got a gym of sorts on one of the lower levels. I work out most mornings, though I was running a little late this morning.” He grinned. “Might have had something to do with the late night workout I had.” Reaching out, he took my hand, tugging me so I slid off the stool and stood between his legs. “You okay?” he asked. “You’re awfully quiet.”
I shook my head and plastered on a smile. “I’m fine.”
Tyler frowned. “Fine? That bad, huh?” The way he said ‘huh’ sounded just like the way Sadie had said it and my stomach twisted. “I’m no expert, but as far as I’m aware, when someone says fine they never mean fine.”
The bathroom door opened and Sadie walked out, looking impeccably groomed for someone who had spent so little time in front of the mirror. Her hair was deadly straight, flowing down either side of her face, high-heeled shoes were now covering her feet, and she was wearing a black one-piece pantsuit with a short, crisp white jacket over the top. Any makeup she had on was flawless, giving off an appearance of unaffected and natural beauty.
“Hey Sades,” Tyler greeted her, his gaze barely flicking over her.
She rolled her eyes, bunching her workout gear into a ball and shoving it into her bag. “You could have let Lauren know I was coming.”
He looked between us. “Sorry,” he said again. “I guess I’m not used to having someone else around.”
And yet, Sadie was clearly used to being there.
Tyler pushed the remains of his breakfast towards Sadie. “Want some?”
She shook her head, leaning over to peck a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to get a head start. See you at the office.”
She was just about at the door when Tyler turned. “Have you—”
“Yes,” she yelled over her shoulder.
“But what about—”
“Goodbye, Tyler,” she called out and threw a wink in my direction. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lauren. I hope I’ll see a lot more of you.”
As soon as the door slid shut and I heard the grinding of the elevator, I twisted to face Tyler. “That is your assistant?”
Tyler looked up, startled. He could hear the accusation in my tone. Before answering, he cleared his throat. “I told you about Sadie.”
“You didn’t tell me she looked like that.”
“Like what? Like a woman?”
“Like an extremely attractive woman.” I moved away from the space between his legs and sat back on the stool to finish my breakfast.
Tyler lifted a single brow, leaning over to place his elbow on the bench, his head in his hand. “You find her attractive?”
“Of course I find her attractive,” I said a little more forcefully than I intended. “Anyone would find her attractive.”
“I guess she is.”
“You guess?”
Tyler frowned. “I feel like I’m being led into some sort of trap here. Am I supposed to find her attractive?”
I pushed my plate away, no longer wanting to finish the last strips of bacon.
“Are you jealous?” he asked, the slightest hint of mirth playing in the corners of his mouth.
I deliberated in my head. Truthfully, I was feeling jealous. This woman just sauntered into his apartment as though she had done it a million times before, thought nothing of using his shower, and then proceeded to kiss him before leaving. Even if it was just a peck on the cheek, it still made my heart beat erratically and uncertainty settle in my gut.
Tyler got up from the stool, walking behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. The scent of him was intensified from his work out and I inhaled unintentionally, cursing myself as a tingling sensation prickled between my legs.
“You have nothing to be jealous of,” he said into my ear, his lips brushing over my skin until he sucked the drop of my earlobe into his mouth, teeth grazing the tender flesh. I squirmed on the stool, clenching my thighs together, determined not to succumb. It both annoyed and excited me how easily I was turned on by him.
When I didn’t turn, didn’t melt to his kiss, he dragged my stool with me on it, backwards, creating room for him to stand in front of me.
“Sadie and I have been friends for years. She’s been my assistant for years, though I doubt she will be for much longer. We have never been, and never will be together. You have nothing to worry about. I’m all yours.”
He looked straight into my eyes as he said it and, as each word fell from his mouth, my annoyance dissipated to be replaced with a touch of guilt. There was nothing either Tyler or Sadie did that I should be annoyed about. And yet, it was still there niggling at the back of my mind, her familiarity with him, her knowledge of his life, his whereabouts. I was new in his life and she had been there for years. I had everything and nothing to be jealous of.
I sighed. “I’m not jealous.”
“You’re not?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess I have nothing to worry about then.”
“Nope, guess not.” I shook my head.
Tyler leaned over and hooked his finger on the neckline of my t-shirt, his eyes darting downwards. “Care to join me for a shower?”
* * *
Emerging from the shower clean and satisfied, if not a little tender, I gathered my gear and collected what I would need for the day into my pack. Tyler stood at the mirror, twisting the loops of his tie.
“I’ve organised Jimmy to come and collect you.” He adjusted the knot until it sat evenly at the base of his throat. “I’ve given him strict instructions to keep his hands to himself.”
“Tyler!” I exclaimed.
Tyler grinned. “Kidding,” he said. “Though I did inform him of the change in our relationship, just in case he had any ideas.”
I laughed and was about to say that Jimmy was too young for my tastes, before remembering that Gabe was probably younger. My laughter died away and I cleared my throat, watching as Tyler took the suit jacket from its hanger and shrugged it over his broad shoulders. He was so gorgeous it made my heart ache.
“Did Jimmy really need to know?” I asked cautiously. “Don’t you think that maybe we should wait a little before announcing to everyone that we are together?”
“Why?”
“Because of…” I didn’t say his name. It still hurt. The guilt.
He walked over and placed a kiss on my nose. “No,” he said simply.
“No?”
He shook his head, hands resting on each of my shoulders, and peered down to look into my eyes. “No.” Releasing me, he turned to collect his keys. “We’ll go to Maria’s for dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up from the site around six. Will you have enough to do to keep yourself busy until then?”
Having gathered my gear, I followed him into the elevator. “Billie’s picking me up for lunch. No doubt that will take a while.”
Jimmy was waiting beside the car, hands stuffed into the pockets of worn jeans and squishing a discarded cigarette butt under the toe of his boot. He smiled nervously when I approached and held the door open.
“Why thank you,” I said, smiling at him mischievously. “Such a gentleman.”
“Ma’am,” he replied seriously. He looked over to Tyler and nodded, a look passing between them I didn’t understand.
Jimmy was quiet in the car, fiddling with the radio, adjusting the angle of his seat, the distance between his feet and the pedals, anything but acknowledging my presence.
“Is everything okay?” I asked when
I couldn’t stand it any longer.
He looked up sharply. “Everything is fine, thank you.”
“You’re very serious, and not one swear word has been said.”
A small smile crept over his face, but he wiped it away quickly. “You’re with the boss now.”
“And that changes me?”
Jimmy shook his head, eyes set firmly on the road. “Not you. Me.”
“Why?”
“Why?” he repeated. “Because you’re with the boss now and Mr Thornton is not someone I want to mess with.”
“And being relaxed, talking to me and being friendly, that is messing with Tyler?”
Jimmy looked across and narrowed his eyes, unsure how to answer.
“I believe that what I say should be the gauge of how you treat me, not Tyler.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Mr Thornton said some strong words.”
“Like what?”
The smile that was threatening before slowly crept across his face. “I’m not telling you.”
I crossed my arms, feigning annoyance and looking at Jimmy sideways.
His usual cheek-splitting grin overcame his face. “Fuck it.”
He didn’t shut up after that, telling me of all the recent developments at the site. How the interior of the lower level was being done, and the interior designers strutted around in high heels and refused to wear the correct footwear on the site. How the construction on the upper levels had hit a snag due to the roofing contractors not doing what they were contracted to do, so all work had been halted on the top floor. And how he was ever so slowly getting over his fear of heights by making himself crawl out on the scaffolding each lunch break.