by Mia Ford
“How’s your mother?”
“Grumpy and snobby as always.” I chuckled. “I thought she would soften as she aged, but I was wrong. She’s a brick house now.”
“She never liked me,” he said.
I sat back, talking to him about the family, reminiscing about the times he would come over and barbecue when I was a kid and about all the memories he had of my dad and himself. He was really a great guy when you caught him at the right moment. He was also an incredibly handsome man. I had always had a thing for older men, and I could even remember crushing hard on Tanner when I was about sixteen, just about the time he and my father had parted ways. Sitting here in front of him, it was like he hadn’t aged a day. He was almost fifty years old, and I was half that age, but he always had some sweet young thing on his arm. It was no secret he was into the younger women.
Tanner was never one to slack on his appearance, and from the look of how his muscles filled out the arms and chest of his designer shirt, he was still going to the gym on a regular basis. He had dark brown hair, almost black, with just the tiniest hint of silver when he turned his head toward the light. He kept it longer on top and pushed back, with the sides trimmed perfectly, as if he went by the barber’s every single morning. But that wasn’t the only thing that made him hot as hell. It was the kind of man he was, too. He was ambitious. Surrounded with the future of marketing and finance, he was goal driven, and work was what satisfied him about life. He didn’t take much of anything else seriously, including his relationships, and I kind of felt like I was the female version of him.
Tanner’s strong will and desire to succeed was sexier than his biceps, and I couldn’t help but picture him close to me as I sat in the chair. I mean, there was no way I was going to have an affair with Tanner. He was too old for me and the head of a billion-dollar company, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t daydream about it. I had to get my kicks somewhere since my dating life was null and void except for the guy my mom had tried to set me up with from the country club. He was the most boring rich boy I had ever met, and I ended up leaving him at the restaurant and grabbing a cab while he was in the bathroom. I really didn’t know what I expected out of someone my mother had chosen.
I went through the rest of the day following either Tanner or the head of finance around the building, learning what my role would be. The learning curve was steep, but I had enough education between college and my internship that I was only slightly overwhelmed. When I left that evening, I waved at Tanner, and I almost thought I could feel him staring at my legs as I walked. Maybe all the times throughout the day when I thought he’d been flirting, I might not have imagined it all. I put the thought out of my head, trying to keep myself on task, and took the elevator to the lobby where I walked outside and grabbed a cab to Pier 49, the bar where I was meeting my best friend, Brianna.
Brianna was my voice of reason, the girl who kept my ambitious feet firmly planted on the ground. She didn’t let me get too far ahead of myself when I was running toward the edge. She was sassy and smart and always had men falling all over themselves for her, though she never really noticed. She was athletic with curvy hips, a tiny waist, and huge tits. Her long brown hair spilled out over her shoulders, and she hadn’t needed anything more than a touch of blush and a smile since we were in college.
When I walked into the bar, I looked over at her and laughed as two guys were leaning against the bar, smiling at her flirtatiously. She had obviously gotten them to buy us our first round but quickly disposed of them as soon as I sat down. She was too funny, telling them I was her soon-to-be wife, and I was a man-hater so they should probably run off. She used that excuse every time, so I knew what face to give them as I walked toward them. They moved faster than I thought two drunk idiots could go.
“Hey, beautiful lady,” I said, sitting down and kissing her cheek.
“So.” She turned toward me. “How did the first day go at MJ?”
I sighed with a bit of satisfaction. “It was awesome. A lot of information to take in.”
“Was it weird working with your dad’s arch nemesis?”
“No.” Her terminology cracked me up. “It wasn’t that bad actually. And it didn’t hurt that he was still hot as hell.”
“You and older men.” She laughed. “But seriously, I remember him from your dad’s cookouts. He was pretty damn hot, even from a sixteen-year-old’s perspective.”
“I know, right?” I stuck a cherry in my mouth and looked up at the television. “I mean, he was flirting with me, and when I left, I was pretty sure he was checking me out.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, eating her cherry and staring at me. “You need to jump him.”
“No,” I said with feigned shock. “I can’t do that. He’s my father’s old best friend and my boss for that matter.”
We went off into a conversation about him more, but my mind lingered on that thought. What if I did jump him? What if I had the nerve to start some kind of sexual adventure with Tanner? I was being crazy, though. There was no way I could start my first professional job by fucking my boss. And God, if my father found out about that, I might just send him to an early grave. I needed to stay the course and focus on the job at hand, no matter how many times I imagined him naked.
Chapter 3
Tanner
I could still remember Ava as a young girl with awkward braces, beautiful eyes, and a slightly abnormal wit to her. When I came around back then, she had been just a little girl, running, playing, and gossiping with her friends. I was pretty sure the last time I saw her, she was about sixteen, but I never really thought much of it since she was so young. She was literally just my best friend’s kid that I’d been around since she was a baby.
Now, though, she was so fucking hot, I couldn’t get her off my mind. Her thick thighs, perfect curves, and long, sexy hair were driving me nuts. She had these dark eyes that cut right through you, and her lips were so pouty, I couldn’t help imagining them wrapped around my cock. It was almost insane how much she had been on my mind. She was flirty when we’d met in my office the day before, and though I kept telling myself to relax, I thought it was pretty arousing. Bending her over my desk and fucking the hell out of her wouldn’t take a damn thing away from my day. If anything, it would make it a hell of a lot less boring.
Ava, though, she worked for me now. It wasn’t like I’d run into her out at the bar. She was an employee of mine, and a young, ambitious woman. Her goals and drive reminded me a lot of myself, and I think that was part of what was attracting me to her so much. She wasn’t like her father, and she hated the way her mother was, dependent on her father’s wealth. I could see that resolve inside of her to succeed and make her own way.
There weren’t very many women out there who weren’t looking for a man to take care of them, and she was one of them. I needed to remove those thoughts from my head because they were dangerous, both personally and professionally. I had made the mistake of screwing a girl from the office before, and it did not end well for either of us. Women, no matter how tough they are, always want more than I’m willing to give them. I didn’t know what Ava was looking for, but I knew for damn sure I wasn’t the guy to give it to her, even if I wanted to.
I sat up in my chair, realizing that I had lost all track of time sitting there thinking about Ava. I glanced out of the office and saw her sitting at her desk, working diligently across the hall. She was biting her bottom lip and twirling her pen through her fingers as she concentrated. I was going to have to start working with my door closed if I didn’t want a fucking boner every five seconds. I needed to get control of myself around her, and that was the point of it all. I couldn’t afford distractions at such a crucial time with the merger, and I needed her to be on the same page, even though I didn’t want to say it like that. Maybe if she knew more about the company and where it was headed, she would understand our need for professionalism. Of course, at the same time, she had already been more than professional. Maybe I
was the only one who needed that talk.
It was lunch time, so I got up from my desk and grabbed my jacket, sauntering out of the office and looking around. My secretary had taken lunch and would be back any minute, and then I could leave as well. Ava looked up at me from her desk and smiled sweetly, forcing me to push back the flip-flop feeling in my stomach. I walked over and stood next to her desk, looking down at the workups I was having her do. They looked flawless, which was no surprise since she was first in her graduating class and hunted by several companies for her internship. While looking at her notes, I also happened to notice that her lightweight peach sweater hung a bit low, and I could see the edge of her pink bra, holding up her big, firm breasts. I cleared my throat and walked back to the other side.
“I’m about to take lunch,” I said. “You want to come along?”
“No,” she smiled. “I should stay and finish these up.”
“Come on.” I chuckled. “I won’t tell the boss. Besides, I think it's important you know where we’re going in the future.”
“Okay.” She looked and sounded confused.
“The company.” I corrected myself, realizing how I must’ve sounded. “Where the company is going in the future.”
“Right,” she said, shaking her head. “Okay, then. Let me grab my coat.”
I smiled and watched her walk away in her black, wide-legged pants that hugged her perfect ass just right. I looked away as she turned back to me and smiled, as if I hadn’t been checking out her assets. With my hand on her lower back, I guided her to the elevators. We stood awkwardly next to each other as the elevator made its way down, the tension thick between us. We went to a restaurant about one block away, a nice Italian spot that was quiet and put together. They gave us a seat in the back and to the right, which normally I’d be pissed about, but it gave us a bit more privacy than sitting right in the front. As we ate our appetizer and waited on the main courses, I started by giving her the history of MJ after her father had left the company. She looked at me wide-eyed as I told her about all the trips, all the sacrifices I had made, and how much of a roller coaster it had been.
“Wow,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how you do it and still look so young. I’d be gray and ready for retirement by now.”
“You kind of get used to it after a while.” I chuckled. “The highs are good, but you make sure not to take the lows too seriously or you’ll drive yourself nuts. Everything passes. It’s just how you handle it that really decides whether or not you come out on top.”
“And now?” She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she took a bite of her salad.
“Now,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “Now we move forward with a very big step. This merger will potentially collect hundreds of new, large clients. It could put a structure in place that MJ has never been able to execute because I could only handle so much as one man. Our board will be stronger, our management will be stronger, and our services will triple, and all under the strong commitment of service that I built this company on.”
“That sounds amazing.” She smiled. “And I’m so excited to be part of it.”
For the rest of lunch, we talked about the details of the merger, how she was going to fit in during that process, and what she had to look forward to in the future in her position. She was going to be a huge asset to me, which made it all the more important for me to keep control of my urges. However, as she leaned forward and listened to me, batting her long eyelashes, I couldn’t help but slide in a few flirtatious remarks. She didn’t even blink when it happened. As the conversation continued, there was quite a bit of flirty banter, and I couldn’t help but watch her face as it flushed several times. It was almost sexy how red her cheeks got, but that didn’t take away from the fact that she was dishing it out as much as I was serving it.
When lunch was over, I suggested we walk across the street and grab some coffee to take back because the breakroom had terrible stuff. She made a joke about me buying better coffee, and I thought back to when I regularly did that kind of stuff, when the office was small enough that I knew everyone’s names. I had been so obsessed with growth that I’d thought that was a bad thing. Now, I can barely remember my secretary’s name much less the people in the different departments or offices. I knew that was part of the deal of expanding my company larger and larger, but it was still a shame I hadn’t appreciated the personal touch while it lasted. Maybe, though, I’d up the brand of coffee that was delivered to the employees throughout the company, so they could at least have a decent cup while they slaved away in their cubicles.
We grabbed ourselves some coffee and headed back towards the office, not really walking at a major pace. She talked to me about college and about her internship and how much it changed her way of thinking for her future. She was thrilled to be on the ground floor of the merger, and she felt like there were businessmen and women out there who spent their whole lives in their careers and never got to experience something like this.
I was glad she was excited. It put me at ease, considering I was a bit nervous about the change. However, I had never been one of those people who easily embraced change. Being in my line of work, I had to accept it, but I didn’t like it at all. Then again, with change came risk, and I had seen companies go through major shifts and never return. That was why I had been in negotiations for this merger for years before actually moving forward with it. I wanted to make sure it was the best possible opportunity and fit what my vision for the future of MJ was.
It was a considerable challenge getting so many different minds on board, especially since the other company and its CEO was just as picky as I was. In the end, though, I was still young in their eyes and had many years left to run and build the company, while they were ready to retire and play golf. One day, I would be at that point, but for now, I was walking into the lobby of my company’s main offices next to one hell of a sexy, smart girl, and making my way back up to the first leg of changes for the company. I stepped to the side and let Ava go in first, glancing down at her tight ass as we entered the elevator. When the doors shut, we stood close, holding our coffees, one of which was for the secretary. Our shoulders brushed and electricity shot through my chest.
Between us was a level of sexual tension I hadn’t ever felt before with someone, and from the looks of Ava’s blushed cheeks, she was feeling it, too. It was a good thing we were situated on the eighth floor and not the thirtieth because I didn’t know if I could refrain from kissing her for that long. When the doors opened to the offices, we both let out a deep breath, glancing at each other for a moment. We walked to our offices, and she thanked me for lunch before taking the extra coffee to the secretary.
When I got back to my desk, I tried to move right into work, ignoring the nagging feeling in my stomach. She was so hot, and I really wanted to take her in the copy room and screw the hell out of her. My mind was all over the place over this girl, and I couldn’t allow it to happen. I had to keep my wits about me and not go running off the deep end. I could get laid at any time. I didn’t need to pick the twenty-five-year-old I just hired and had known most of her life.
Every time I looked over at her out of my office door, though, it got harder and harder to restrain myself.
Chapter 4
Ava
I sat in the meeting, staring down at my file, so I wouldn’t be caught gazing at Tanner like a love-sick school girl. He was looking so amazing in his black Armani suit, black button-up, and his teal tie, and my eyes didn’t want to leave his bulging biceps straining the fabric of the suit. He stood at the front of the room talking about the first stages of the merger and how most of it was very behind the scenes.
Our change manager was there to discuss how things would be handled on the employee front. I wasn’t going to be dealing with the employees as much because my job was to handle the merger’s financial customers. Good thing the topic wasn’t so pertinent to me. It was hard to think about anything with the electr
ic pulses going through my stomach every time Tanner looked over at me. His eyes pierced mine, and I instantly felt like I couldn’t breathe. This was not what I’d expected when I took his offer to work here. It was seriously distracting.
I still didn’t understand how things were feeling between us. It was a continuous stream of thought that had started my first day and had not dulled one bit. My mind would start with simple thoughts about how enticing he looked or how his confidence was sexy. Those thoughts would slowly shift to dirtier things, like imagining what he looked like naked or what his cock was like. Then, without warning, those thoughts would evolve into full-on pornos in my mind where I was the star, and he was giving it to me so good and hard. I always had a vivid imagination, but at that point, I wished I didn’t. I couldn’t shake the sex from my mind, and I was constantly crossing my legs, feeling the pool of juices in my panties.
I bit my lip and looked down at my files, trying to hide the serious blush on my cheeks as I imagined us lying across the huge mahogany table we were sitting around. I could see the web cameras picking up our images and displaying our writhing bodies on the screens above our heads. It would be so freaking erotic but, at the same time, so damn dangerous. I was pretty sure that was one of the things that made me want to do it, the fact that it was so taboo. Just the idea that I was working for the man behind everyone’s back was exciting, and I tried to tame that and remember I was lying to my whole family, and that shouldn’t be exciting. I was pretty much grasping at everything I could to not be attracted to this man. I mean, he was way too old for me. Wait, that was definitely a turn on and not a negative.