She shivered. “It feels so good, but so different. Have you ever used one of these?”
“Like up my ass?” I asked with a chuckle. “No fucking way, Lila. And I never will, so don’t even think about that. But your ass might like it.”
She moaned a bit. “Yeah, it might.”
Whoa!
I had no idea just how far she’d let me go. It seemed the options were limitless.
I moved it faster and saw her reacting more intensely to what I was doing, her breathing turning heavy. When I felt her clenching around the toy with her pussy, I knew she was getting close and didn’t want me to pull it out. But I did anyway. “That’s enough of this.”
“Aw …” she moaned. “So, what’s next?”
“We kiss.” I pushed her up off the ground and got up too, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom. Lying her back on the bed, I laid next to her. Resting my hand on her stomach, I leaned down and kissed her, not allowing our bodies to touch anywhere else. Only my hand on her stomach and our mouths working the other’s.
When she ran her hand up my arm, I knew it was time to bring out the big guns. “Hmm. I think I’ll need to use something to restrain those straying hands of yours, baby.”
“What?” she Seemed perplexed.
That look disappeared when I took out a set of handcuffs. “I’m going to cuff your hands together and hook them over the bedpost, so you can’t touch me or get away from me.”
“Oh, God!” She looked like she might just tell me no for the first time ever. But then the look changed to one of excitement. “Cool. We’re going Fifty Shades, huh?”
“Not that deep into it, but a little.” I cuffed her then pulled her arms up before getting back to where I’d left off.
My hand was back on her abdomen, my mouth back on hers, and I kissed her hard and hungrily. My cock ached to be inside of her. Denying myself wasn’t easy, but I had high hopes that I’d take us both to a place we’d never been before. And the fact that I was doing this for the first time with her was the icing on top of a delicious cake.
Lila pulled at the cuffs as she moaned. “Fuck me. Please fuck me, Duke. I’m begging you.”
I thought it might be time to do just that and moved my body over hers, pushing my dick into her soaked cunt. The gel from the vibrator made things even slicker.
Fucking her hard, relentlessly, as she writhed underneath me, the cuffs holding her in place for me, I watched our bodies connecting, moving together to get off.
My cock was bigger and harder than it had ever been. My balls heavier. When I spilled myself inside of her, there was going to be a wonderful mess.
Leaning over her, I kept up the fast pace as I lowered my head to suck one of her tits. Her nipples were so hard they could cut glass. I sucked hard, knowing her stomach was pulling with each tug of my mouth.
She moaned and shrieked with pleasure. Then a string of cuss words came out of her mouth as she arched up to me. Her pussy clenched on my cock so hard I thought she might never let it go.
And with that, I exploded into her like never before. The things I’d read had been right. This was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
There was this terrible groaning sound, like someone was being killed. It took me a minute to realize it was me who was making those noises. Guttural, feral, primordial was the only way to explain it.
Lila’s body sagged as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes closed, her tits bouncing with her violent breaths. “You okay?”
She nodded weakly. “You?”
“I’m better than okay.” I pulled out of her, and her eyes opened. She looked at me as I unhooked her hands then took the cuffs off.
Rubbing her shoulders, I sat on the bed and pulled her up so I could make sure she wouldn’t hurt later. But I was pretty sure she’d be sore in the morning—and walking funny too.
“I’m okay.” She patted my hand. “Let’s cuddle.”
We scooted down into the bed and I covered us with a blanket, kissing the side of her head as she snuggled up to me. “I want you to know that I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like you, Lila. I doubt I ever will. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
“I like you more than anyone I’ve ever met too, Duke. And I think you’re the amazing one. And, for the record, I’m glad you didn’t tell me what you had planned. I would’ve balked. You gave us both a real treat by keeping it to yourself. But I would like to know when you learned how to do that.”
“Today on the Internet. You’d be amazed what you can learn online.”
“I bet. Good job.” And with that, she dozed right off, and I wasn’t far behind her.
Our bodies had never been so completely satisfied and spent, and all they wanted now was to rest.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lila
Duke and I both woke up feeling completely refreshed and went to the station to see what the day held for us. We found out Artimus wanted us all to meet in the largest meeting room so that he could give us a last-minute speech.
With it being Friday, there were only two more days before we’d go on air for the first time Monday morning. I suppose the boss wanted to give us that last minute pep talk before the weekend began. He was giving us those two days off to rest and rejuvenate before our network opened for business. He knew our days would be getting incredibly busy soon enough.
Duke made sure to sit somewhere other than next to me, choosing to sit next to Ashton. Nina and I took seats together not too far behind them. She nudged me, then leaned in close to whisper, “I hope this doesn’t go too long. I’ve got plans to go get a mani-pedi. You wanna join?”
“Why not?” I answered. “It’ll be nice to pamper myself a bit before my world gets turned upside down. I’m in. Anyone else going?”
“Gina from audio and Terrie from wardrobe. Terrie knows this great place that’s really cheap, too. She can get us in since her sister’s sister-in-law owns the place.” Nina winked. “It pays to know people in New York. You’ll find that out the longer you live here.”
“Thanks for letting me into your little circle, Nina. I appreciate it more than you know.” I smiled at her, feeling as if I’d found my new home.
Artimus went up to the podium to deliver his speech. He was wearing an expensive suit and tie, looking dapper and handsome as always. I had to wonder why he was still single. He had wealth, a great physique, a personality to match, and a handsome face, so why was he all alone?
Or was he?
Maybe he simply didn’t want to let us in on his love life. I could see that being the case.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of my business, so I pushed the thought out of my head to listen to what the boss had to say.
“Sexual harassment is no joke, people.” He paused as he scanned the room, looking at each and every single one of us. “I’m sure all of you are aware of what’s happening in the entertainment industry right now, and we sent you to those classes so we could educate you as best we could. Even with that, we’ve already had to let someone go because they refused to abide by the rules here at WOLF. I had high hopes that we wouldn’t lose any team members, but some people just don’t want to follow the rules, and they pay a high price for breaking them.”
Nina and I exchanged a look as she whispered, “Good riddance to her.”
I nodded in agreement. I’d had no idea she’d been coming on to Duke. If I had, I didn’t know what I would’ve done. Thank goodness Artimus had seen Gretchen in action and had put a stop to it before I’d had the chance to do something stupid that would’ve gotten me fired too.
But his words sent a chill through me. If Duke and I were ever found out, I knew Artimus would have no choice but to fire us both. And that scared the hell out me.
Things had felt so wonderful since we’d said we wouldn’t be seeing anyone else. And then there was that fantastic sex we’d had the night before.
That had been mind altering fo
r sure!
I would never want to stop being with that man. But I also didn’t want my career to come to a screeching halt so soon. Being fired never looked good on a résumé, after all. Even as a newbie I knew that much.
Artimus looked around the room again, nodding as he did. “Good. It seems everyone is on board with how we all must conduct ourselves. No hanky-panky, no flirting, no touching at all, please. I don’t want to see any hugging for any reason.” His eyes moved from Duke to me, clearly recalling how we’d jumped up and hugged each other when Artimus had given us the news about the co-anchor positions. He’d reprimanded us then, and it seemed he was reminding us of that.
“Can we give each other high fives?” Ashton asked. Light laughter could be heard amongst the staff.
“I’d rather you not do that,” Artimus said as his eyes wandered over the meeting room, taking in each and every single one of the fifty staff members who filled it.
No high fives?
That was a bit overboard in my opinion. It seemed he wanted no kind of physical contact at all. Which was impossible.
I had to say something, so I raised my hand. He gave me a nod, so I said what I thought someone should, “I know this is all very serious, Mr. Wolfe. But I don’t think it’s possible to achieve an environment that completely blocks all physical contact.”
Duke was quick to add, “I agree with Lila. Working so closely together will see us all touching from time to time, even if it’s only an accident. Yesterday I saw Ashton and Nina get into an accidental situation where it looked like he was humping her from behind. Granted, he was only showing her how she had to bend over a table to hold the cue cards at the right angle so Lila and I could both see from.”
Nina’s cheeks were bright red cheeks from Duke’s little story, but she raised her hand to speak anyway. With a nod, our boss let her have the floor. “I know it may have looked bad, but Mr. Lange didn’t actually touch me. He’s very careful not to, I think. We’re all really nervous about all of this. The girls too, sir. We’ve been talking amongst ourselves, us girls, and we all know it’s only a matter of time before another man comes forward with harassment charges on a woman. None of us want to be that woman.”
Ashton raised his hand and Artimus permitted him to speak with yet another nod. “For the record, I would never accuse Nina of any type of harassment. She’s very professional at all times.”
Nina sighed heavily and watched Ashton as he stood and looked around at everyone, saying the words that I supposed she wanted to hear. She mouthed, “Thank you,” to him, then smiled. He smiled back at her before taking his seat.
Artimus nodded. “I know you’re all on edge with these rules, but I think we’ll settle into them just fine. Just mind your Ps and Qs, and I think we’ll all get through this unscathed. It just might take some time to navigate the waters. Okay?”
Artimus looked around as we all nodded in agreement with him, then he turned to Mrs. Baker, who sat in a chair behind him. As he gestured to her, I could see she didn’t look right. She was pale, and her eyes were downcast. Her hands were limp in her lap. She didn’t resemble the poised woman I’d gotten to know over the past few weeks.
She raised her head slowly as Artimus cleared his throat to draw her attention to him. “Mr. Wolfe, I think I’m having a heart attack.”
The room went silent for a moment before we all burst into action. Artimus yanked his cell out of his pocket. “I’ll call 911.”
Some of us staff rushed to her side. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I could feel how cold she was. I looked back at Duke, who wore a suit. “Can you give me your jacket to put around her? She’s very cold.”
He took it off hastily and handed it to me. I draped it over her shoulders. “Everything’s going to be okay, Mrs. Baker.”
Her words were but a whisper, “Make sure Mr. Wolfe calls my husband to let him know, please. I want him there as soon as he can get to me. He’s my world, and I’m his. This is going to be hard for him. Please be there for him if anything happens to me, Lila. You’re so good with people.”
“I will, Mrs. Baker. I promise.” I had no idea she’d thought that way about me. “But you’re going to be okay. You’ll see.”
The other women and I took turns saying comforting things to her as we waited for the paramedics to get there. She held tightly to my hand the entire time.
When they arrived and put her on a stretcher, she still held my hand in hers. “Can she come with me?” she asked the two men who were seeing to her.
One of them looked at me. “I think that’ll be fine.”
Artimus called out to her as we passed him, “I’ll be right behind the ambulance, Mrs. Baker. Don’t you worry a bit.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Duke saying something to Artimus, and then he looked at me and gave me a nod. I had no idea what that meant; my mind was a bit scattered at that moment.
I had to wait for the EMTs to get Mrs. Baker into the back of the ambulance before I could get in. Her color seemed to be getting worse.
One of the paramedics got in the driver’s seat while the other one hooked her up to an IV. She winced with the pain of the large needle he had to stick into the back of her hand. Her hand looked a little frail, definitely showing her age. I knew she had to be in her mid to late sixties.
I held her free hand. “I know so little about you, Mrs. Baker. Now I know you have a husband that you love dearly, and he loves you too. Do you guys have any kids?”
“Two.” She closed her eyes as if searching her memory for them. “John and Jane. Twins.” I could tell it was hard for her to speak. But she went on. “They died in a plane crash when they were twelve. They were heading to summer camp in Utah.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. And even sorrier that I brought that up, Mrs. Baker.” I bit my lower lip, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. “You just relax as best you can and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll be right here, and I’ll make sure your husband gets to you as soon as possible.”
“He’s all I have. Please do, Lila.” Her body arched, jerking up suddenly with a violence that told me she was hurting far more than she had let on. Even with that action, she didn’t utter one single cry. She took it all in silence.
Stoic, noble, and always strong, she was one remarkable woman. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve for her children to have been taken away from her so young, either. But she did have a man who loved her, and I prayed that would be enough to keep her alive.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Duke
Racing to the hospital with Artimus, I couldn’t stop praying for Mrs. Baker. To watch a woman who appeared to be so healthy, strong, and full of life be pulled down the way she’d been was shocking.
Life was too damn short, and what was happening to that poor woman brought that home to me.
As Artimus and I entered the emergency department, we met Mr. Baker, who’d barely arrived just before we had. He was demanding to be let back to see his wife. “I need to be with her right now!”
“Mr. Baker,” Artimus called out to him.
The poor man looked like death warmed over. “Artimus. Thank God. She’s here, isn’t she?”
The nurse finally buzzed the door to unlock it. “You can come back, Mr. Baker. We’ve got her in a room now.”
He looked at Artimus, his lips forming a straight line. “I should let you know that I don’t want her going back to work at all. It’s clearly taken a toll on her. It’s time to get yourself a new assistant.” And then he was gone, disappearing behind the double doors that would take him to see his ailing wife.
Artimus looked out of sorts. His eyes were wide, his mouth ajar. “Well, that’s not good news. But I should’ve expected it. I’d be the same way with the woman I loved, I suppose.”
Taking seats, we waited nearly an hour for Lila to come tell us what was going on. When she came out of the same doors Mr. Baker had gone into, I had to fight myself not to grab her up and hug her.<
br />
She came and sat on the other side of Artimus. “She’s had a heart attack, but she’s okay now. Tired, sore, not feeling too well at the moment. But she’s going to make a full recovery. They want to keep her for forty-eight hours just to be sure, but I thought she looked much better after they got some medicine into her system and got her hydrated.”
He and I breathed sighs of relief. “Thank God.” Artimus looked much better. “I wonder if I could go back and see her now.”
“I’m sure you can once they get her into a room and out of the E.R. She’s doing much better now.” Lila patted his hand. “Her husband told me she’d no longer be working at WOLF, or anywhere else. Believe it or not, she was pleased with his order.”
“So I will need to find a new assistant then,” he said as he nodded. “The main thing is Mrs. Baker is going to get better. I can deal with teaching a newbie how to assist me. But damn, I’m going to miss that woman.”
We all sat there in silence for a long time, the harsh reality of life hitting all of us square in the chest. The nurse broke our silence as she came and told us what room Mrs. Baker was in and that we could go see her.
After a brief visit with her, we left her with her husband, letting her know to expect all kinds of flowers and cards from everyone at the station. She might not be coming around the station anymore, but she’d always have a place in all our hearts.
As we left the hospital, Artimus giving Lila and me a ride in his private car, he let us in on a surprise, “Well, we were going to announce this at the end of the meeting, but since that didn’t work out, I think I’ll let my two new anchors give the staff the great news.”
“And what’s that?” I asked him.
He pulled a packet out from under his suit jacket. “In here are gift cards to Spirit Spa in Manhattan. It’s an all-inclusive resort. All fifty of you guys have private rooms and access to everything the spa has to offer. There’s a restaurant there too where you each will get three meals. Everything’s included. Even a bar to help you guys relax before our big day on Monday. You can check in as early as ten tomorrow morning and checkout isn’t until two on Sunday.”
Dirty News (Dirty Network Book 1) Page 15