She suddenly looked up with an annoyed expression as I approached the desk, as if to say how dare you interrupt my flirting session? Her pointed stare redirected the attention of the man in the expensive charcoal suit. He straightened, and turned around with a huge smirk on his handsome face.
“Ian?” I blinked.
“Ms. Pryor,” He responded with a glint in his eye, and stepped out of the way so I could approach the desk.
I was so confused. I thought Mason hated his guts. I gave Ian a sideways glance before I focused on Ms. Blue eyes sitting before me. Her glare was an icy one.
“Hi, Jillian Pryor to see Mason Woodward… I mean, Mr. Woodward.” This is some serious deja vu.
She tapped at a keyboard, barely acknowledging me.
“I don’t see your name on this list.”
“He won’t mind, I came to bring him-”
“If your name is not on the list, then it’s a done deal. I can’t interrupt Mr. Woodward’s meetings.”
I was fuming as I gave her an equally poisonous glare. There is one characteristic that being with Mason has brought out in me, and that’s my assertiveness. I never knew I had it in me until I had to butt heads with that man.
I walked away from the desk before I could claw her eyes out. I’ve been dating this man for three, nearly four months and I wasn’t on his list? My hand was twitching as I keyed a message to him.
I’m not on your list???
My phone chimed instantly.
Mason: What are you talking about?
I answered as quickly as I could.
I’m not on your list of approved people. :( I planned to surprise you with coffee. Btw your receptionist is rude.
I pressed send.
There. I said it. It was probably low of me to tattle like that, but I was pissed. Sometimes, angry people do foolish things… like cost other people their jobs. I looked up and saw that Ian was long gone. The receptionist was staring at the screen of her phone, amidst an occasional eye-roll in my direction. What the hell is her problem?
I waited for a text response from Mason, or for him to phone the front desk. I even looked to see if his secretary, Elizabeth, would appear from around the corner. There was nothing. After a few minutes, I was starting to feel foolish and awkward just standing there in the front room.
Suddenly, I spotted Mason round the corner from the hall behind the desks. He looked delicious in a navy Italian suit, but the knot in his jaw gave a strong indication to his severe mood. There was scruff on his handsome face, and he appeared tired. The staff in the front reception area jumped when they noticed him unexpectedly make contact with humanity. They scattered to make themselves look busy, or scarce.
Ms. Blue Eyes didn’t notice him right away, since she was fixated on her phone screen. He cleared his throat, drumming his long fingers on the polished granite surrounding the reception area as he bore down on her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping her phone to the floor. Nervously, she didn’t bother to pick it up as she tried to act cool and collected. If she hadn’t been so rude to me on more than one occasion, I would have felt sorry for her and tried to advocate for her in some way.
“M-Mr. Woodward,” Blue Eyes stammered as she looked up at him with a nervous smile.
“There seems to be an error in the system that I would like to have looked at,” Mason answered in a business-like voice. “Please move aside.”
“Of course.” The receptionist’s face was crimson. I watched from a distance as Mason tapped at the screen after pulling up a spreadsheet.
Without turning to the receptionist, he pointed at the screen. “Do you see this name? This is Jillian Pryor. She’s on the list, as she was four months ago. She’s never been removed. Perhaps you were looking for a spelling with a G. Or, it could be that you were too busy flirting with my consultant to pay attention to your job.” He stood from the chair and smoothed the front of his suit jacket.
“Yes, Sir.” Her face was aflame. “I apologize, Mr. Woodward.”
His voice remained smooth, calm, yet authoritative. “I need people with sense and logic to represent this company. I’m aware that Human Resources has received some complaints about your representation and work ethic. Gather your things. Consider this your final day.”
What? I blinked.
The blonde was left dumbfounded. The other office personnel had gathered from their corners to watch. They reminded me of little rodents peeking out of their hiding places while the cat was on the prowl. The woman cast me a brief, deadly glare as she left the front desk to gather her belongings in the back. Geez.
Once she was gone from sight, Mason looked around the front office, and everyone scrambled to busy themselves. His beautiful light brown eyes met with mine and a slight smirk curled upwards on his lips. It was enough to dampen my panties.
“Ms. Pryor, I’ll see you in my office now. I apologize for the wait.” He turned to walk around the desk and headed down the hall, assuming I’ll follow him. Of course I followed him. I held his stainless steel mug of coffee as I walked behind him. He stopped after a few long strides, and waited for me to catch up. He kept his hand on my lower back as he guided me toward the double mahogany doors of his office, keeping appearances business-like and professional.
He opened the door and waited for me to step inside. Then I heard the click of the lock behind me, and he stood there with a dark, hungry look in his eyes. My back suddenly hit the locked door, and his masculine scent overpowered me.
“I missed you,” he gave a low whisper in my ear. I wrapped a thigh around his body as he kept me pinned against the wood of the doors.
“Whose fault is that?” I gave a coy response. His lips crashed down on mine, and his kiss was ravenous, sensual, and left me breathless. He didn’t budge. His strong, powerful body kept me plastered in place.
“If you take one step further into my office, I’m going to bend you over my desk and pump my cock so deep inside, you’ll be sobbing, sore for days. Can you handle that, my darling?” His whisper was demanding, yet velvety and seductive.
Heat washed over my body, and I felt my toes curl inside the flats on my feet. It wasn’t just his words, but the way in which he said them. His silky tone and inflection combined with his domineering presence made me so wet and aching.
“If you must insist… I suppose I must submit to your will,” I responded huskily. His eyes glittered darkly as his hands roved over my round hips, up to my breasts. A hand, slid up my thigh, inching the fabric of my knee-length violet dress higher until the sheer black thigh-highs I wore were exposed. Mason sucked in a sharp breath, barely able to maintain his composure as he noticed what I wore beneath my dress: matching black lace bikini bottoms to go with the thigh-highs.
I pushed him away lightly and ducked away from his hold. It was easy to do when he wasn’t expecting it.
“You fucking tease,” he groaned slightly as he adjusted his pants with some obvious discomfort. I smirked to myself as I walked away from him, and sensed him follow me close behind.
I grabbed him by his chocolate brown silk tie and pulled him toward the desk. He was surprised by my playful assertiveness inside his office, but he wasn’t about to force his control. I pushed him into his office chair, which rested beside an expansive backdrop of Manhattan on a clear, sunny day in late afternoon.
“Jillian…” His voice was gravelly as he watched me drop to my knees in front of him. His fingers clenched so tightly around the armrest of his office chair, that his knuckles turned white. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I pulled the zipper to those expensive business pants down. I kept my dark eyes locked with his light brown ones. He stared down at me with such desperate need and anticipation, knowing what I was about to do.
“You implied you were having a bad day, Sir,” I looked up at him with innocent eyes.
I unbuckled his pants so slowly, painfully slowly, and I took delight in watching the tick in his jaw form into a knot as his knuckles clamped white again
. I knew it was taking everything he had within him not to overpower the situation and shove my head down.
“It’s not so bad anymore,” he answered with a rasp in his British voice.
Enough with the torment. If I keep this up, he’ll ruin those expensive pants. I slid his pants and black boxer briefs down just a bit. His length was already full and rock hard. I took his thick length in my hands and slowly massaged. He dipped his head back slightly and let out a deep breath.
I didn’t know what kind of stress he was dealing with these last few weeks, but I wanted him to relax and enjoy. Since we became a couple, he has focused so much on giving me pleasure. He’s focused so much on trying to prove how much I mean to him, and I’ve been craving to do this for so long.
My tongue cascaded over his cock, from the base to the tip, and my lips wrapped around his needy tip, sucking the dewdrop of precum that had slipped out. My tongue danced in swirls around his tip as I savored his taste, and I felt his fists roughly in my hair. His groan was feral as my lips moved up and down his length with a suction that caused his fingers to dig into my scalp.
The pain in my scalp sent delicious sparks down to my pussy, and my tempo became much more vigorous as I fucked him with my mouth. As it did before, it gave me a delicious feeling of empowerment, knowing that I could give him this pleasure. I wanted to make him feel good. I was no longer afraid to tell him that I loved him, but I did want to show him.
With my hands on both knees, I spread his legs apart more, so I could take all of him into my mouth. My tongue caressed every inch. His breathing was ragged and desperate.
“That’s right, baby, suck me off. I’m going to fuck your mouth-”
Beep. The intercom buzzed from his secretary’s desk. Without thinking, I instinctively looked up as Elizabeth’s voice came over the speaker.
“Mr. Woodward, your three o’clock appointment with Mr. Yoshida will be five minutes late due to traffic.”
Mason pushed my head back down onto his cock and he relaxed back against his office chair as I resumed bobbing my lips against his length.
“Thank you, Elizabeth. Did you call Carlito’s and make reservations for eight next Thursday?” Mason asked this so nonchalantly, but his grip on my scalp told me he was struggling to keep it together. He kept my head shoved down, as he began bucking his hips lightly, pumping his cock into my mouth. It hit the back of my throat and I used my hands to massage what wouldn’t fit into my mouth.
“Yes, Mr. Woodward. Reservations are set. Your drycleaning has been picked up as well. Also, your father called earlier while you were in the meeting room. Shall I phone him back?”
“No.” Mason’s voice was clipped, annoyed, almost strained. “That will be all, Elizabeth.”
“Oh F-f… fuck…” He growled as he leaned his head back against the polished leather of his highback office chair.
I forced his length down my throat, and that was all he needed to release. I felt his hot liquid spurt down my throat, and some of it dribbled down my lower lip. I looked up, after swallowing what I could. I licked my lips and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. His usual olive tone was flushed red as his chest heaved from his ragged breathing.
My legs were uncomfortable from kneeling on the cold marble, but he was well worth it. Once he’d calmed his breathing, I moved to straighten myself. As I began to stand, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me onto his lap. His lips met mine with such an intensity, before they trailed down to my neck and collarbone.
“I love you, Jillian. I want you to know that.” His breath was soft in my ear and it sent tingles from my neck down to my damp panties. “I know you’re not ready to say those words to me, and I deserve to never hear them from your mouth but I don’t want you to feel pressure when I tell you.” He kissed the area behind my ear with such tenderness, then gently slid me from his lap.
My stomach fluttered with those words, and I felt an excitement in my chest. I had been a hair away from telling him on the night of the masquerade how in love with him I was, before I learned the truth. When I finally tell him, it’s going to be very special. I could only smile as I bit my lower lip.
I still had the sickening feeling, buried deep within me, that something was going to happen to break my heart, but I was going to pass that off as paranoia. I watched him straighten, fasten and tuck himself into something presentable and professional.
“I feel terribly guilty cutting our time short, without taking care of your needs, but this meeting is crucial.”
I nodded quietly with a soft smile. “Well, you have your coffee, and I hope you are feeling better now.”
“Much better. I will see you tonight.” His gaze into my eyes was intense as he smoothed a bit of my wild hair away from my face.
****
Later in the evening, Mason returned home to find me in the kitchen. Mrs. O’Malley seemed frazzled earlier in the day so I told her that I’d take care of dinner. I’m not quite the efficient housekeeper that Mrs. O’Malley is, and was still struggling to uncork a bottle of white wine when Mason walked through the door. I heard him set his briefcase down on the polished table in the foyer.
“I’m in the kitchen,” I called out. I was frustrated with the fancy wine opener, which refused to open the damn bottle of wine. I was still in the dress I’d worn to his office earlier, wearing flip-flops.
My eyes met his and I nearly lost the wine bottle when it slid off the counter. Mason dodged and caught it in one hand.
“Oh gosh. Good catch,” I said quickly, attempting to take the wine bottle from his grasp, but he pulled away from me and uncorked it with ease. He filled our wine glasses partially, and I caught sight of the low smirk on his face.
“What is that look on your face?” I asked suspiciously.
“Nothing. Nothing at all, my dear.” He handed me a wine glass.
I took it and watched him chuckle as he took a sip from his own.
“Tell me. You’re laughing at me.” My eyes narrowed with an accusing glare, but I wasn’t actually annoyed.
“I just find it sweet.”
I looked up at him, puzzled as I took another sip. I watched him look over the spread of deli meats and cheeses and bread that I had laid over the breakfast bar.
“You should have checked with me before dismissing Mrs. O’Malley, however.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Are sandwiches not up to His Majesty’s standard?” I asked as I prepared to create his sandwich.
Mason raised a single eyebrow at me, and I smirked. He didn’t seem humored by the new label I’d bequeathed to him. Oops.
“Would you prefer, My liege?” I asked with an innocent bat of my lashes.
“Neither.”
“You may call me Sir, if you must call me anything.”
I bit my lower lip. “Your Grace?”
His gaze was fiery and his mouth formed a thin line as he suddenly stalked over to me. I dropped the bread knife I had in hand and it clattered onto the countertop.
Without a word, he hoisted me over his shoulder, as though I was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. His strong arms held my legs in place
“Mason! This is ridiculous!” I cried out with surprise at his sudden action.
“I warned you not to toy with me, Ms. Pryor.” He said, and I felt the sharp sting of his hand on my ass.
I squealed and wriggled as he held me in place over his shoulder. His arms gripped me tighter, holding me in place as he stormed down the hall.
“Now I’m Ms. Pryor again? What the hell, Mason. Put me down!”
“Keep it up, sweetpea, and I’ll show you how it really is.”
His tone was impatient, challenging, and domineering but also hinted at the amusement he was trying to hide. I just knew he was smirking underneath that tone. His hand landed firm and rough on my ass again, but this time he gripped my left cheek through the skirt of my dress. Mmm...
“Where are you taking me?” I asked in a demanding voice of my own.
> “To the bathroom.” His voice left no room for question.
“Why?” I asked anyway.
“You ask too many questions.” I heard him kick in the door to the bathroom since his arms were occupied holding my defiant body in place.
I felt my feet touch the cool marble as he set me down. His eyes bore down on me as he stood before me. Suddenly, the tear of silk clashed with the cool air on my heated skin. I sucked in a deep breath, gasping. My dress lay in shreds at my bare feet.
“Mason, I really liked that dress!”
“I’ll buy you a new one, darling. Now quiet, and don’t move.”
His gaze was dark as he silently dared me to disobey, but I remained in place. As much as I enjoyed pushing his buttons, I wanted what he had planned for me. For us.
He turned the platinum faucet of the shower, and the steam soon fogged up the glass doors.
He suddenly hoisted me up and planted me on the porcelain sink, so my ass was sitting in the wide dip of the basin. He looked at me as I used my hands to keep myself perched upright.
“Spread your legs for me,” He ordered as he admired the view with such lust in his eyes. He began unbuckling his pants. His light brown eyes never left my parted thighs.
I obeyed and splayed myself for him. I used my hands to keep myself propped as best as possible. His desire seemed carnal as he yanked the tie from his neck, and tossed it to the floor. His clothes were stripped and tossed to the cool marble.
I sucked in a breath as heated tingles washed over my body at the sight of his tall, olive muscles ready to take me. His cock was standing straight, long and hard for me. The muscles between my thighs clenched and I think Mason caught a hint of that.
With sudden force, he gripped my hips and pulled me to the edge of the sink. His fingers remained locked around my hips, holding me in place, supporting my whole body as he stooped lower. He started with the balls of my feet, kissing them sensuously in turn, as he held my leg up with one hand. His other hand remained grasped at my hip.
Queen In Play (The Manhattan Tales Book 2) Page 14