I want him. I could invite him up to my apartment and in moments he’d be inside me like he was that night two weeks ago. We could have another night together and I could finally feel what I’ve been dreaming of ever since the office Christmas party. I could lean over and kiss him right now, and I know he’s have his arms around me in an instant.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I hear myself saying. “Thanks again!”
And just like that, I look away and almost run out of the car. I fumble with my keys. There’s a movement in the corner of my eye, someone walking out from the alley beside me but I ignore it. I finally get the key into the lock and rush into my apartment without looking back, my heart still beating against my ribcage. I lock myself into my apartment and lean against the door, closing my eyes and breathing heavily.
That took all my willpower. Every single ounce of it.
It’s better this way, of course it is. It would be so incredibly inappropriate to invite him in. We’re about to go into a two-week frenzy of work. I can’t be distracted by the thoughts of his lips, or his hands, or his cock…
I shiver before turning on the heat in my apartment. I know my bed will be cold and I’ll wake up huddled in one corner of it. I wonder what it would feel like to wake up in Zach’s arms? To feel the warmth of his body against mine all night?
With a deep breath I drop my bags and take off my jacket. I need to stop this. I head to the kitchen and groan when I open my fridge door. Nothing looks appetising. I open the freezer and see a tub of ice cream.
Why not?
Looks like it’s just me, myself, and ice cream tonight.
I wake up and practically have to sprint to the toilet bowl. I cough and dry heave and finally throw up some bile as the waves of nausea crash over me. Finally, the feeling subsides and I sit down on the ground, my hand still resting on the toilet. I take a deep breath and lift myself up, running the sink to rinse out my mouth. I hate this feeling. I’m going to need to go to the doctor, this is getting ridiculous. Aren’t stomach bugs supposed to be done in a day or two? It’s been almost a week!
I sigh and get ready for work. I take a bit more time than usual to make sure my makeup looks nice, and I wear my favourite skirt. I pause before I grab the matching blazer, seeing my red light-up Christmas sweater hanging in the closet next to it.
If everyone else is going to be off work for the holidays, I’m going to make my own holiday. I slip the sweater on over my top and flick on the lights. The tree on my chest starts flickering and I smile to myself. I check myself out in the mirror - tight pencil skirt and ugly sweater.
Perfect.
The team is already assembled by the time I get into the office. I take off my jacket and hear some laughter.
“Planning on pulling down some more trees, there, Harper?” Rosie calls out as she points to my sweater. “We got rid of the last one but I’m sure I can find one for you to topple over. In fact, I think there’s one in the Rockefeller Center that’s what, 100 feet tall?”
I twirl around for her and she laughs. Another voice joins hers and I spin back around to see Zach standing in his office door.
“I always liked that sweater on you, Harper,” he says with a smile playing in his eyes. My cheeks flush immediately and Rosie’s eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline. She gives me a knowing look and turns back towards her desk.
“It’s the holidays, isn’t it?” I respond, ignoring the flood of desire soaking through my panties. If he keeps looking at me like that I’m going to go absolutely crazy this week. I thought this sweater would be a deterrent!
I try to hide my embarrassment and my arousal by turning to my office and dropping my bag down. It seems like an instant later he’s in my doorway.
“Did you wear that on purpose?” He says in a low growl, taking a few steps towards me.
“On purpose? I mean, yes? I didn’t get dressed in the dark.”
“No, Harper,” he says, now inches away from me. I back up so that my thighs hit my desk and his chest is almost touching mine. “Did you wear that because you knew it would drive me wild.”
If my heart wasn’t thumping so hard I would burst out laughing. This is probably the least sexy item of clothing I own.
“I… no. Does it drive you wild?” My voice is trembling and my fingers are desperate to hook themselves around his neck. I watch as he licks his lips and his eyes flick back up to mine. He hesitates for a moment and then spins around and rushes out of my office. I watch as he runs his fingers through his perfectly styled hair and heads back to his own office, closing the door behind him.
All the air leaves my lungs and I sit down on the edge of my desk. I look out the door and I see Rosie, staring in with an eyebrow raised. She grins and shakes her head slowly in mock disapproval. I roll my eyes and turn around, still trying to catch my breath and slow down my heartbeat.
I should have brought a change of underwear.
Chapter 20 - Zach
I don’t even think it would matter what she wears. I can’t get her out of my head. When she took off her jacket and I saw that hideous sweater all I could think of was her legs straddling me in my office as she bounced up and down on my cock. Instant boner.
My office door is closed and I put my head in my hands. I shouldn’t have gone to her, but it’s like something I can’t control. I’ve been trying to avoid her for the past two weeks but now we’ll be here, working on the same project together day-in, day-out. It’s almost too much to bear.
There’s a knock on the door and Becca pokes her head in. She’s almost stopped flirting with me now, which honestly is a bit of a relief. I nod my head and she slips in, holding a box in front of her.
“This came for you,” she says as she places it down on my desk.
“Thanks Becca,” I tell her. My voice softens. “And thanks for offering to work during the holidays. I know it isn’t easy.”
She nods and smiles shyly but says nothing before turning around and slipping out the door. I need to be nicer to my employees, and actually know what’s going on with them. I’ve spent too much time being the hot shot CEO. Where has that gotten me? Relieved that I have to work over the holidays so I don’t spend them alone?
Maybe this project is my chance to change. I can get to know this small team, and actually make an effort to see them as people and not just as employees. I always thought Harper was cold and distant and professional, but when I see her interacting with the rest of the team I see another side of her that she never showed me before. Or maybe I never bothered to notice.
Everyone loves her. She’s warm and funny and has an infectious laugh. People want to work for her. I see the way she asks more from her team and they push themselves because of it. She’s a fantastic manager.
Here I am thinking of her as an employee again. She’s not only a fantastic manager, it looks like she has real empathy, real connections with the team. She put together a great team of our best people to work over the holidays. I’m her boss but I doubt I could have convinced all of them to work. They like her. I wonder how many of them, if any, actually like me?
I sigh and grab the box that Becca left on my desk. Maybe I can learn something from Harper over the next few weeks. Or maybe this is just me giving myself permission to talk to her and hear that musical laugh of hers.
I rip the box open and find a small ring. It’s silver, with thin winding strands. It looks very old and worn. There’s a note underneath and as soon as I read it my blood runs cold.
Stay away from her.
There’s nothing on the other side of the paper, just those four words, handwritten on a scrap of paper. My heart is pounding in my ears. I flip the box over and empty the contents, looking through the packaging for anything else. There’s nothing. My breath is shallow and my mouth feels dry as I look at the empty box, the note, and the ring.
Stay away from her? From who?? I look at the ring more closely, try to see some engraving,
anything that would give me a hint of whose it is.
Who the hell am I supposed to stay away from?? Who would threaten me? I flip the piece of paper over again and frown. This is so fucking weird. I haven’t even spent any time with a woman! Not since Harper. I sit back in my chair and feel my eyebrows raise.
This is the longest I’ve gone without sleeping with someone in… I don’t even know how long. The past few weeks I’ve just lost interest in chasing women and having casual sex. What’s the point in it all? And now I get this message? When I’m on my own?
I stare at the box again and rack my brain. Who would be threatening me? Is this even a threat? I slip the ring and the note into my breast pocket right as my door swings open. I glance up and meet Harper’s eyes.
“Just about to start the morning brief, if you wanted to join?”
“Be right out,” I reply in my best business voice. She nods and closes the door. I exhale loudly. Even one look from her makes my body buzz, how am I supposed to make it through the next two weeks?!
I put the box and the packaging on a shelf behind me and get ready to join the rest of the team. I’ll deal with the ring and the note later.
Chapter 21 - Harper
Before I know it, one day turns into the next and it’s Friday evening again and almost everyone has gone home. I know I’ll have to come in to work tomorrow but maybe it can be a short day. I finally click shut down on my computer and start gathering my things. My left hand moves to touch my right ring finger, where I always wore my grandmother’s ring. My heart skips a beat when I don’t feel it there, and then I remember I took it off at the beginning of the week.
It should be right here, in the top drawer. I pull the drawer open and frown. There’s a few pens and bits of stationary but no ring. I empty the contents of the drawer but can’t find it anywhere. I pull open the second drawer, then the third, starting to feel the familiar hollowness in my stomach when I’ve lost something.
I can’t lose this ring! It was my grandmother’s ring, and I’ve worn it every day since the day she gave it to me. I go through every drawer, move everything around on my desk, check and re-check my purse.
“Fuck,” I breathe to myself as I slump down in my chair. All of a sudden I’m exhausted and I feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. Why am I so fucking emotional right now?! I’m either horny or crying or laughing hysterically these days. I look at the calendar on my desk and frown. I’m late for my period, so maybe it’s about to start and that’s why I feel like this. I’ll find the ring, but I can’t handle being an emotional wreck.
A thought creeps into the back of my mind. Maybe the reason I haven’t gotten my period is…. Could I be pregnant? All the cravings, the nausea?
I shake my head. It couldn’t be. I’ve been tested. One in ten million chance, the doctor said. Almost completely infertile. Almost. I sigh and shake my head again. I wasted enough energy hoping for that one in ten million, I’m not going down that path again. I’m just PMSing, that’s all.
I remember the way the doctor said those words. It felt like he reached inside me and tore my uterus out himself. Now the tears aren’t just welling up in my eyes, they’re pouring down my cheeks. I close my eyes and try to stop myself but I can’t stop my ragged breaths.
“Harper, are you ok?” Zach’s voice pierces through my sadness. My eyes fly open and I quickly brush the tears away. They’re still falling out of my eyes and I hate myself for it. I sit up.
“Fine, fine. I’m fine. Sorry,” I say, turning away from him. He walks into my office and comes around the desk, kneeling beside me.
“What’s wrong? Are you OK? What happened?”
I look at him and see what looks like real concern in his face. He’s staring at me so earnestly, so openly. He’s kneeling beside me and every party of my body is screaming for me to reach over and touch him.
“Nothing happened,” I say, brushing the last of my tears away. “God, this is so embarrassing.”
“Stop, it’s fine.” He stands up and leans on the desk beside me. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his body next to me. “It’s been a stressful week.”
“Yeah,” I reply lamely. How could I explain why to my boss I was crying, no, sobbing in my office on my own. Because I lost a ring? Because three years ago I was told I would never have children?? How completely pathetic of me.
“Harper, if this is about work, you should take the weekend off. You’ve put together a brilliant plan and the team will be able to carry it through.”
He’s staring at me again with those eyes. His face looks softer than it usually does, and his voice is barely louder than a whisper. It almost sounds like he really cares. I shake my head.
“I’ve got a couple things to do tomorrow. Don’t worry about me, Zach, you just caught me at a bad time. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, Harper.”
Something in the way he says it makes my eyes flick up towards him. The softness in his eyes makes my heart grow twice its size and a soft warmth floods my veins. Zach reaches over and runs his finger along my temple, then tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I close my eyes and inhale deeply as his finger traces the line of my jaw.
For the first time in three weeks, I ignore the voice that’s telling me this is wrong. All I’ve wanted is to feel his touch, and now he’s here next to me and everything feels right. My hand moves up to meet his and he grabs it, pulling me up to face him. He’s still leaning on my desk and suddenly I’m standing in front of him. He pulls me into him and wraps his arms around me, then brings his hand up to my cheek to wipe away the last of my tears.
“Don’t cry,” he says softly.
“I’m not crying,” I reply. “Not anymore, anyways.”
“Good,” he grins.
Time stands still as our faces move towards each other. I can feel the heat of his thighs on either side of my body and the warmth of his hand on my lower back. His other hand cups my face and then tangles into my hair as he brings my head closer to his. Finally, finally, our lips crush together and I taste his kiss again.
He tastes better than I remember. My arms hook themselves around his neck and I lean into him, pressing myself against his broad chest as his arms pull me in even closer. We kiss and kiss and kiss until I have to pull away to catch my breath.
“Let’s get out of here,” he growls. “I’ve been dreaming about you for three weeks, Harper. Come home with me.”
“Ok,” I reply. It’s the only response I can manage, even though I want to tell him that I’ve been dreaming of him too. I want to tell him that every orgasm I’ve given myself these past few weeks I’ve been thinking of him, and every time I see him all I want to do is run my fingers all over his body.
I don’t say any of that. I can’t. My throat feels tight and all I can do is stare at him, wide-eyed with my heart thumping against my ribs. He kisses my lips one more time and then grabs my hand. I pick up my purse and we head out the door together.
Chapter 22 - Zach
My body is buzzing. I can’t think, I can barely speak. It takes all my concentration to drive to my place knowing that Harper is right here beside me and she’s coming home with me. We stumble out of the car and rush inside. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold winter air when we get to my door. I steal a kiss before opening the door for her.
We take the elevator to the top floor and stumble inside, lips already interlocked and bodies separated by many layers of thick winter clothing. Harper giggles as she takes off her hat and gloves and starts unbuttoning her long coat.
“This isn’t quite so sexy when you have to spend ten minutes taking off all your layers,” she laughs as she kicks off her boots.
“I still think it’s sexy,” I say, pulling her in for another kiss. I’ve never tasted lips that are so sweet. It feels like she melts into my arms whenever we touch. My whole body is tense with excitement.
/> I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. My cock is throbbing, aching for her already. She shivers slightly in my arms and I pull her in closer, letting my fingers slide to the nape of her neck as she wraps her arms around me. It feels too good to be close to her, it shouldn’t be allowed.
“Come on,” I say in a hoarse whisper. I take her hand and guide her to my bedroom. She climbs onto the bed and in an instant I’m there with her, my body sinking down onto hers. I try to prop myself up on my arms to stop my body from crushing hers. Harper doesn’t let me. She wraps her legs around me and pulls me down until our bodies sink into the bed and I can feel the warmth of her desire pressing against my stomach. She shivers again and moans before kissing me. I can feel her body vibrating under mine. It feels like a coiled spring, ready to explode as soon as I find the switch to release it.
Everything I’ve been dreaming of for the past three weeks is happening. Every look, every moment I’ve had at the office where all I could think about was her is coming to a head. I feel like my body is floating and flying through space at the same time. I can see every detail of her skin, every strand of hair, every freckle, every perfect curve and at the same time I can hardly focus on anything except the heat of her body and the hardness of my cock.
I’m panting as my lips find her ear, her neck, her clavicle. My kisses cover her soft white skin and I feel her hands fist into my hair. It’s electric, the way she touches me. I slip my hand under her shirt and feel the softness of the skin on her stomach.
I run my fingers up her stomach and cup her breast, loving the way she moans as I feel her grind her hips into me. She feels better, she tastes better, she smells better than I remembered. She sits up and I help her slip off her shirt. The breath almost leaves my body. She has a freckle right below her left breast and I dip down to kiss it. My lips devour her skin. I can’t stop kissing and tasting every inch of her. I’m addicted.
Knocked Up by the CEO Page 7