by Kira Blakely
“No, of course I didn’t. Mr. Preston authorized it, several days ago,” she said, still maintaining her sugary sweet voice that was starting to make me feel sick.
“But he changed his mind, and you didn’t put a stop to the paperwork,” I spat out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ms. Calhoun. Mr. Preston wasn’t in the office yesterday; he took the day off. I didn’t get any message about him changing his mind,” she informed me, while I was pacing about. The machines loomed in the background, dangling the wrecking ball threateningly in front of the building. I was running out of time.
“Well, I’m telling you now; he’s changed his mind. You need to stop this from happening,” I said.
“I don’t take orders from you, Ms. Calhoun,” she was quick to reply.
“So ask him! Call Nash and ask him yourself,” I said, throwing my hand up in the air. I really couldn’t lose this building. It was my only personal achievement. The central symbol of my company.
“I can’t. He’s unavailable at the moment. Like I said, he’s not in the office,” she said, manipulating her voice to make it sound like she was speaking to a stranger. Like she didn’t even know me. I breathed in deeply, the phone stuck to my ear. I squeezed it tightly in my hand like I could mold it like clay.
“What is your problem, Seraphine?” I asked her, in a much calmer voice. It was over anyway. This was going to go ahead and happen. There was no way that I could possibly change her mind. And with Nash out of reach, there would be nobody to put a stop to this in time.
“My problem is that you’re overreaching, Ms. Calhoun,” she snapped. Her mask had finally slipped. “Nash Preston is out of your reach, and you should stay in your place.”
“You think he’s going to keep you on when he finds out what you did? That you disobeyed him?” I said, shaking my head. I wished I was recording this conversation.
“I did nothing. This was all authorized by Nash himself. And he didn’t cancel the plan, like you claim he did. So really, I haven’t done anything wrong here. Like you said, I’m just doing my job. And, Ms. Calhoun, you underestimate my importance and role in his life. I pick out his shoes for him,” she snapped and then hung up. I kept the phone to my ear for a few seconds longer, listening to the white noise.
“What happened?” Peter appeared out of nowhere, as distressed as before. He was sweating profusely, and he kept taking his spectacles off to give them a good wipe out of nervousness.
“Nothing. I couldn’t get through to him,” I said dejectedly, pushing my phone back down into the pocket of my jeans.
“So, there’s nothing we can do?” he asked.
I turned to him, narrowing my blue eyes. “I’m going to go throw myself in front of those blasted machines. They’ll have to get past me if they want to destroy my building,” I said and walked away, in the direction of the crane. Behind me, I could hear Peter screaming, chasing me.
But I was determined. I wasn’t going to let Seraphine win. I wasn’t going to let Nash win either. I didn’t care who was responsible anymore. Seraphine could be telling the truth, and it was exactly what I had thought. Nash had no plans of keeping the building, giving me my job back. Either way, I was done with this. This was going to be the last time I ever thought about Nash Preston.
23
Nash
I was in the backseat of my car, staring out at the passing city. It was only several minutes later that I realized I had a stupid smile on my face. My biggest fantasy had come true. I had managed to be with the woman I was crazy about, and not ruined it. I had stayed away from Bonnie for so long, all those years, because I was afraid of what would happen if we got together. Because I was so sure that she detested me, my world. But she was perfect. I should have trusted my instincts a long time ago. Bonnie Calhoun was always the one for me.
With thoughts of her still in my mind, I extracted my phone out of my pocket and tried switching it on. It was dead.
“Dammit,” I said, not too harshly, because nothing could really get me down today. I was in a great mood. I was just annoyed that I might have missed a call from her, or not seen a naughty text that she sent. I had a few things that I could already think of saying. For instance, that I wanted to slam into her, fuck her brains out tonight. I was smiling again as I plugged my phone into the charger next to me.
“Jonathan,” I said aloud, pressing the buzzer on the car’s intercom.
My chauffeur looked up in the rearview mirror, meeting my eye. “Yes, sir,” he said.
“Can we make a quick pit stop at the Calhoun Codes site?” I said and switched the intercom off. I was sure she would be there, and I was getting the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to get through the day without seeing her again. She had left my home only a few hours ago for her own apartment. But we’d already been apart too long.
I had wanted to tell her that she should bring some clothes over the next time, so that we could get ready for work together. Give this normal-life thing a shot. But something made me stop. Was I rushing it? We’d only been together for a few days. We were meeting after five years. I was afraid in that moment that I might end up pushing her away with my enthusiasm. She struck me as the kind of person who liked to technically assess everything, chart out reports in her head.
I was smiling again. I didn’t care anymore. I wasn’t concerned about what she might think if I asked her to move in with me. I wasn’t going to waste time. We had already wasted eight long years apart.
“We’re here, sir,” Jonathan said through the intercom.
I hadn’t actually been to her office before, and I stepped out of my car in a rush. I was feeling those school boy feelings of seeing my crush again. I was nervous and giddy from excitement as I stepped out into the scorching summer sun. Buttoning up my suit jacket, I walked toward the office building.
A yellow bulldozer and a crane caught my eye, a wrecking ball was angled at the building. And as I began to run toward them, I noticed Bonnie clinging to the front wall of the building, her arms spread out on either side. She was screaming at the guy operating the wrecking ball, her face red, shaking with rage.
What the actual fuck!
“Bonnie?” I called out, and everyone who was gathered there turned to look at me. She did, too. And I immediately saw the look of betrayal in her eyes. She was blaming me for this.
“Stay away from me, Nash!” she screamed as I drew closer, slowing my pace.
“What are you doing?” I asked, stretching out my arms at her. As upset as I was, I was also struck by her raw sensual beauty. In the harsh sunlight, her golden hair shone, her blue eyes looked nearly translucent, barely even blue. She was standing with her legs spread apart, her arms clinging to the wall. She was shaking her head vigorously.
“I’m not going to let this happen. You promised this wouldn’t happen. You’re a liar!” she yelled.
“This isn’t going to happen. I promise it isn’t. Guys!” I whipped around to the men in the machines. “I’m Nash Preston, CEO of Preston and Son, and I’m ordering you to stop,” I said with my teeth gritted. The heat was getting to me, seeing Bonnie like that was getting to me. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better, something like this had to happen and ruin it all.
“But we got the authorization from your office,” one of the men leaned out of his seat to say.
“Stop, now. I was paying you to do this, and I’m not paying you anymore,” I replied, my shoulders heaving, I was breathing fast. I turned to look at Bonnie, who was still splayed on the wall. With a few quick steps, I was in front of her, and she looked up to meet my eye. Nobody had ever looked more beautiful.
“Bonnie, you can relax now,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. Her nostrils were still flared, her cheeks were a deep crimson and her eyes were bloodshot. Call me crazy, but she looked sexy as hell.
“I’m not going to relax until you tell me what you did. Why you did this,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
“You think you can get me to stand down so you can demolish it a few hours later? I’ll camp out here if I need to. All night,” she continued, and I smiled at her, shaking my head.
24
Bonnie
I couldn’t believe the audacity of this man to smile at me! Did he think he could manipulate me again?
But of course, Nash Preston’s proximity had its immediate effect on my body. He was in a suit again, indicating that he was clearly at a meeting earlier. His gray eyes looked soft in the sunshine now, and his sharp jaws were peppered with that two-day stubble that I still couldn’t explain. His hair was shaggy and dark, and he hadn’t styled it too neatly today so that a few unruly chunks of jet-black hair fell over his forehead and his right eye. He had no tie on, just a plain white shirt and a deep navy suit. He looked good enough to eat. But my mind was wavering again.
“I’m serious. I’ll be here all night if I need to be. You might own this building now, but I can still protest the demolition,” I said, jutting out my chin at him. I could feel his large hands on my shoulders still. They had a tingling effect on my skin. He was standing too close to me, looming over me, looking down at my face. I could smell him, his peppermint breath, that musky masculinity oozing from his body.
“You don’t need to do any of that, I’ve stopped it now, Bonnie. It’s over,” he said with that same self-assured smile on his face. The one that made me want to melt into his arms, the one that was so confident that it instantly assured me that everything was all right. But I wasn’t falling for it this time. I knew I’d said that to myself like a hundred times already, but I was determined now.
“Why didn’t you stop it when you said you would, Nash? Why did you let it come to this?” I spat the words out at him. I could feel my nape reddening. He still had his hands on me, which was making it difficult for me to concentrate.
The smile dropped from his face, and he licked his lips. His hands were slowly withdrawing. He looked guilty, almost apologetic again.
“I’m sorry, Bonnie. I didn’t officially stop it, but I did text Sera about it. I was taking my time because I thought the scheduled date for the demolition was at least ten days away. I thought I had plenty of time,” he said and stepped away from me, giving me my space.
I finally extracted my arms away from the wall, breathing in deeply. Could I believe what he was saying? Was he fooling me again?
“I spoke to Sera; she said she didn’t get any orders from you,” I said, crossing my arms over my breasts now. Was he throwing his secretary under the bus to get another night with me?
Nash’s brows furrowed; he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
“That’s strange, because she always reads my texts. She’s always on top of everything. And now that you mention it, she never replied to that one,” Nash said, pursing his lips.
I gulped, I didn’t want to overreach, like Sera had warned me. Maybe she was right to point out that I didn’t know her place in Nash’s life.
“I think she did this on purpose, Nash,” I said, with a quivering voice. The last thing I wanted was to turn into one of Nash’s jealous crazy women. That just wasn’t me. So out of character to fight over a man. But was I really fighting? Or was I fighting back? And I wasn’t even sure how Nash would react to those words.
“You’re probably right. She might be trying to jeopardize my relationship with you,” he said and relief flooded my limbs. Those were the last words I expected to hear from him.
“Is she jealous? Has she done this before?” I asked, stepping closer to him. Who was I kidding? There was no way I could resist those wide shoulders and that rock-solid chest.
“No, but that’s probably because I’ve never spent this much time with a girl before,” Nash said, wrapping one hand around my waist. He pulled me close to him. We were smiling again.
“You got here just in time,” I said, flinging my arms over his shoulders, and Nash leaned his face toward me, knocking our foreheads together gently.
“I wanted to see you again. I missed you already,” he said and I bit down on my lip.
“So, does this mean I can still work here?” I asked.
Nash kissed my forehead. “Of course. This is your office, your team. Those are your codes,” he replied and I felt giddy with happiness.
I had to give him another chance. Even if this was a game he was playing, Nash Preston was definitely the best player there was. Who was I to deny my body what it wanted? Wherever this was headed, I knew that nobody else could make me feel the way he did. And I deserved a shot at happiness the same way he deserved another chance. And really, what more did I have to lose now? He had my company, my building and my body. Now he was offering me my old job, my old team and a chance to be with him. I mean, how stupid would I have to be to say no to that?
I rose on my toes, reaching for a kiss, when I heard Peter clear his throat behind us. I was so lost in thought, that I had completely forgotten that we were still in that same spot, with all my employees, Peter, and the demolition men staring at the scene that had been unfolding.
“Does this mean that the building is not going to be demolished?” Peter asked, when Nash and I turned to look at him.
25
Bonnie
I had my legs wrapped around Nash’s waist as he used his back to push open the door to my old office. The room was bare except for the furniture, I had already cleared it out. We were kissing furiously, my hands were on his face, and his tongue was deep inside my mouth. Our bodies were blazing.
“This is it? This is where you work?” he asked, panting.
I slid to my feet and started unbuckling my belt.
“This is it,” I said, panting as well. I was watching him as he took off his jacket and threw it to the floor. In seconds, his shirt had come off and he was sliding down his pants. I had still only managed to get my belt off.
“Come here,” he grunted and pulled me close to his naked body. He was hard for me, and I could feel his cock against me. He was quick to pull my blouse up, over my head and discard it to the floor with the rest of his clothes. He smiled when he saw my red lace bra.
His hands were on my jeans next, dragging it down my legs. He bent low as he pulled them and on his way back up he kissed my knees, making me giggle.
I was about to have sex with Nash Preston in my office.
His chest was warm and rigid to touch, his abs flexing as he molded his body to mine. We were kissing again, but this was no ordinary kiss. His teeth tugged at my lower lip gently while his hands stroked the rest of my body, feeling my skin. He had wedged one leg between mine so that his cock was now pressed against me, right above my wetness. I was growing desperate for him, desperate for him to be inside me. He moved his hips as he kissed me, so that he was now stroking me there. I was going to explode.
I grabbed his cock in my hands. I wanted him now and he growled under his breath as my hands worked away.
“On the desk,” he said, pushing me away from him. My eyes widened, even though I knew exactly what he meant. I was just too excited to process those words. When I didn’t move, he caught me by my waist and lifted me up in the air. I gasped and giggled as he carried me in one arm, like I was as light as a feather.
He put me down on my old office table and stared me right in the eye.
“Move in with me, Bonnie. We’ve been apart for too long,” he said.
My mind was buzzing. Really? Right now? I smiled and my hands flew to my mouth with happiness. Of course I was going to move in with him. There was nothing more that I could have possibly wanted.
I rose to meet his face as he kissed me again.
My feet were dangling off the side of the table as he remained wedged between my legs. His hands were in my hair, bunching it up as he kissed me. I hadn’t even had a chance to respond to what he said. But it was evident what my answer to that would be.
&n
bsp; His hand trailed down my breasts, down my belly to my palpitating wetness.
“You’re ready for me,” he said, drawing away.
I breathed in, not blinking once. I didn’t want to miss a moment of this.
Nash pushed me gently, with his hand between my breasts and I settled down with my back on the table. He stood at the edge, and then slowly grazed the tip of his cock on my clit, before pulling away from me. We held each other’s gazes as he extracted a condom from the pocket of his pants on the floor and tore it off. I moaned, arching up, writhing as I lay there on the table. I watched his every move, longingly, as he slipped the condom on.
Without warning, he moved up close to me and thrust himself inside me. I grabbed the edges of the table, with my hands splayed as he drove into me with strong quick thrusts. He was grunting, keeping his eyes focused on my bouncing big breasts. He wanted to watch me come. He was going to make me come on command.
I was moaning, but trying to keep it soft because I knew there were others in the office. They probably knew what we were doing anyway.
He was bringing me to the brink of orgasm. I could feel him hard and big inside me, filling me up, stroking me.
I lifted my head to look at him as I came. My body reeled and my toes curled as I held on to the table. Nash let himself go a few seconds later, and our gazes remained locked as we orgasmed together. I was out of my mind from the sensation. His hands found my breasts and he squeezed them hard, using them for support as he pumped into me.
It lasted forever, and even when it was over, Nash remained inside me. His body lay slumped over mine, his head on my heaving breasts. We were both panting, sweating and happy.