by Abigail Kade
During the conversation, Helen had nothing but praise for Ladd and his accomplishments, too. She was obviously trying to play matchmaker. He blushed at her compliments and when she bragged about his accomplishments. He was good at his job from what she said, had even won some awards, but he was still humble and waived off her glowing praise. I really liked that about him. As I stood there and listened with half an ear to the conversation, I realized I had been attracted to Ladd when I first saw him, based on looks alone. But now that I was getting a glimpse of the man he was inside, I was starting to like all of him and not just his looks. I was starting to like the man underneath, and I had no idea if he liked me back. I was in so much trouble here.
Ladd and I had talked on the phone over the weekend a few times. We were going to be finishing up the selections for the apartment floors and bathrooms today, and he had wanted to finalize my selections. Now, he was due to come by the building this morning, and I was a little nervous. I had been working with him every day over the last two weeks since our last meeting at his office. We’d finalized most of the details for the kitchen and would start the demolition this week. Today, he had some flooring and fixture ideas for the two apartments we were finishing on the second floor. The previous owners of the building had been in the process of turning the second floor into two luxury two-bedroom apartments when they went bankrupt. The units had been mostly completed, except for the finishes, so we had decided to get them done as soon as possible to check that off our list of projects. I hoped that Lachlan would take one of the units. I had a feeling my baby brother would really love this town as much as I did.
I had been paying close attention to my adorable architect these past weeks. I had been studying him like there would be a final exam, and I had learned a good bit. He was running late again today and time management seemed to be the only thing Ladd didn’t do perfectly. He had distinct quirks that were…unique. He couldn’t let things stay askew. Everything on his desk had to be perfectly placed, and he would meticulously move things if they were in the wrong spot or direction. His blueprints or paperwork always had to be centered on the table with even margins around them if possible. If he was eating or drinking and spilled or dropped crumbs, he had to clean them immediately before he could continue with whatever he had been doing. He seemed to do all of this without conscious thought like it was just ingrained and natural for him. I could guarantee he would blush up a storm and probably bite his lip in embarrassment if he knew I'd noticed and made a note of them. I somehow knew he didn’t like anyone bringing attention to his quirky behavior.
The thing that would probably surprise him, however, was how much I actually liked his quirks. He was unique and different, from his hair to his behavior and his always positive attitude. Ladd was one of a kind, and I was beginning to realize no one else would ever come close to being anything like him. It had only been two weeks, but Jesus, I was already a smitten kitten. I was also completely fucked if he didn’t feel anything for me. He kept everything professional between us, but we’d become friends over the last few weeks. We could laugh and joke with each other, and every once in a while I would catch what I thought was an interested look coming from him, but then he would go back to professional mode. I was confused but still very interested.
But even with all of that, the thing that really pushed me over the edge of attraction into a borderline obsession was the way he dressed. He was always dressed impeccably. Starched shirts, dress pants or starched and tailored jeans if he was on a job site, and always those sexy as fuck bow ties. He would play with them throughout the day to always make sure they were straight and perfectly tied.
I had never realized I had a fetish before, but goddamn, I had one now. I loved those fucking ties. Pink, yellow, polka dots or plaid, didn’t matter, I loved them all. I had even had a vivid dream last night involving one.
I was just drifting off, somewhere between awake and asleep when I heard the door to the loft quietly open and close. When I opened my sleepy eyes, Ladd was standing over my bed. I was naked under the sheet and immediately turned rock hard when I saw him there in nothing but his favorite pastel plaid bow tie and a smile. All of that beautiful creamy skin was on display and all mine to lick and caress. I reached out and ran a hand up his side in awe of the smooth texture. I moved higher and traced one finger around his left nipple just barely touching it. I felt his shiver as it skated down his spine. I loved the idea that I had that effect on him. I let my hand drop down, and he leaned over ghosting a kiss over my lips. I tried to move for a deeper connection, but he pulled back just far enough so I couldn’t reach, shaking his head. He took my hand that was now wrapped around his hip and raised it up to his neck in silent demand. I slowly untied the strip of silk, letting the ends trail down Ladd’s smooth hairless chest. Without breaking eye contact, he gripped one end of the tie and slipped it off. The faint, luxurious slide of the silk against the smooth skin of his neck sent a shiver down my spine this time. I was caught in his blue gaze and couldn’t move. He moved closer again, and the feel of his breath over my own lips was a tease that felt better than any real kiss I’d ever experienced.
Once the tie was in his hand, Ladd ever so slowly pulled the sheet down revealing my naked torso and cock, which was now standing straight up and hard as granite. He leaned in and began placing light as air kisses on my skin, starting at my neck and working his way down. He laved my nipples, and when I felt a not so gentle bite, I jerked and moaned at the exquisite torture. His hands followed his lips, and he spent a good bit of time petting my chest hair and following the trail of hair leading to my groin. When he got down to my cock, finally, he looked down and noticed the bead of precum on my tip. Reaching out with his middle finger, he swiped it up and sucked his finger into his mouth, closing his eyes and moaning like the taste was better than the finest dessert. “Fuck, that’s hot!” I whispered at the look of pure lust that entered his eyes once he leveled them back on mine. He got a mischievous smile on his face and picked up the tie again. I thought he might tie me up, and I was totally on board with that. I was not prepared for what he actually had in mind.
Ladd took his bow tie and began reverently wrapping the silky fabric around my cock. Fucking hell, that was the hottest thing I had ever seen. He used all of his concentration to wrap it precisely—as only Ladd would—then tied it in a bow as perfect as it had been at his throat.
When he was through, a lot more precum had made its way to the tip, and it had started to glide down the sides, turning the silk a darker color. Ladd licked his lips, leaned over and licked just the exposed tip of my cock, moaning with his own pleasure at the taste again. I felt that wet heat and my vision went dark as my balls pulled up immediately. I bit my own tongue to stop myself from coming from the glorious sensation.
When Ladd was finished licking my dick like it was his favorite ice cream cone, he glanced up at my face with a smile and proceeded to blow my mind. He grabbed the silky material in his hand and started to slowly pump my cock in a leisurely up and down motion. The picture of that pastel plaid silk wrapping my dick like a present was obscene. The feeling had me gritting my teeth to hold back because there was no way I wanted this to end too soon.
Ladd moved a bit closer, sitting on the bed by my hip, and got a better grip on my silk wrapped cock. Once he was settled, he began pumping me faster which had me groaning and moaning like a whore in no time. I wanted to close my eyes and throw my head back just to enjoy the exquisite feeling, but I refused to miss one single second of the vision before me. Ladd increased his tempo even more and leaned near me, nuzzling his face along the scruff on my jaw. I wanted his kiss, his touch, anything he would give me. Breathing heavily in my ear for a moment, he finally spoke for the first time as he whispered, “Come for me, Connor.” And at that moment, Ladd Eldridge owned me, body and soul. I came so hard it felt like I left my body for a minute. Everything went black before stars burst behind my eyes. It was the most incredible feeling I had
ever experienced. And then I woke up.
I couldn’t believe it had all been a dream because it had seemed so real. But when I sat up, there was no tie to be seen anywhere, and all I was left with was a cum-stained sheet and a new determination. I had just had the best, kinkiest sex in my life and it had all been a dream. I was determined to experience it for real, and more than ever I was determined that Ladd would be mine.
And I was going to start project Get Ladd today. Just as soon as he got here. I had to laugh quietly at his constant state of tardiness. It always seemed to fluster him, and a flustered Ladd was fucking adorable. Today was no exception when he finally bustled in the door out of breath and dragging a few bags behind him. He had on cuffed jeans today with a pastel pink button down, Kelly-green sweater vest and his ever-present bow tie, navy blue with pink dots. Fucking hell, I loved his sexy preppy style. “God, Connor, I’m so sorry I’m late again. I swear every day I set my alarm and get up on time, but something always happens to make me late.” He was frantically waving his hands around, with the bags, as he made his apologies. I hurried forward to take the bags before he hit himself, or me, with something. They looked heavy, and that shit might hurt. He paused to thank me, but he was clearly not finished venting about his morning.
“So this morning the cosmos decided to play yet another trick on me by putting some kind of burr up my lump of a cat’s butt. As soon as I opened the door to head over here, on time I might add, she decided today was the day she’d make a break for it. She darted out the front door, and since she’s not an outdoor cat, I had to go get her furry ass. She then decided instead of going into the yard, where I could scoop her up, that it’d be fun to hide under the front porch steps. So, there I am fully dressed and on my hands and knees, crawling under my front porch to drag my crazy cat out while she’s yowling like I was declawing her with a pair of pliers.”
Now, at this point in his story, I absolutely lost it. I started laughing so hard that I couldn’t breathe because I could see him on his hands and knees, butt in the air trying to rescue his cat from certain danger. It was so clear in my mind that I even got a little excited at the view of his ass in the air, wiggling back and forth while trying to reach his cat. I shook the thought away and noticed Ladd was now laughing just as hard as I was. He didn’t seem as flustered now, and I was happy I’d helped change his mood. But I was anxious to hear more. “So I’m assuming you finally got her?”
“Oh, I got her ass all right, but she was filthy. She has long fur, and she was covered in cobwebs and dirt. I had to bathe her real quick, dry her off and then I had to take a shower and change myself because I was just as filthy as she was. By that time I was horribly late.” He took a minute to calm his breathing. He then cut a glance my way and tried to give me a look of censure. “That’s it, keep laughing, jerk. It wasn’t funny. It was traumatic.” He tried to sound serious, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching while he tried not to let loose again.
“I’d believe you more, if you weren’t still laughing, too.” I let my rumble of laughter out when he lost his battle with himself and burst out giggling again.
“I guess it is pretty funny, huh?”
I nodded, then asked, “So what’s the name of your adventurous feline? Is it Fluffy, Snowball?”
The change was instantaneous. Ladd squinted his eyes at me like I’d just called him a murderer. “Do I look like I’d ever name something Fluffy?”
Well, he did have a point, so I agreed, “No, I guess, not. So what is her name?”
Ladd beamed a new smile, and it lit his eyes again. God, I loved it when his eyes did that. “Her name is Penelope Minerva Fluffbottom. Penny for short, but she needed a proper name because she’s a Maine Coon. They’re so regal. When I saw her, she needed to have a name fitting her stature. Have you ever seen a Maine Coon?” I shook my head because I just thought a cat was a cat. “Oh, you’re in for a treat when you meet her. I’m not saying anything else. I want you to be surprised.” That smile was going to be the death of me. And I liked the way he was talking like I would actually get to meet his cat sometime soon.
“Okay, I guess I’ll have to see. I’m holding you to the invitation. I want to meet Miss Fluffbottom in person.” I threw a sultry look his way. I had loved laughing with him today, we were getting to be real friends, and I loved it.
His smile dimmed slightly, and he seemed kind of sad for a second before he looked down and reached for the bags I had taken earlier. “Absolutely, we’ll have to do that sometime. But right now, we need to get upstairs and decide what we want to do in the bathrooms.” As I followed him up the stairs, I thought about our situation. He was back to business, true, but this was the first time that Ladd had acknowledged the possibility of something else, maybe. I was so confused, but I was holding out hope.
Chapter Five
Why did I have to be the way I was? I lamented my hang-ups in my head the whole time I was walking around with Connor, talking about tile and faucets. “So, you like the solid white tiles in the bathroom, but you want to stick with something like granite for the counters in the kitchen, is that right?” I was holding up the samples I had brought for Connor to look at, but my mind was not in the moment. As I watched him debate the colors of granite for the counters and try to pick the paint colors that would best complement each one, I kept thinking, why am I so scared to take a chance with this funny, kind, sexy man? But deep down, I knew why. I had been left behind so many times in my life. The two most important people in my life had both left me before I was really old enough to take care of myself. Men never seemed to stick around either. My quirks with cleanliness and so many other things were always a huge factor. My looks were another. But I also had a bad habit of keeping my feelings locked up tight. Growing up the way I had, made me extremely guarded with my emotions. If I didn’t get close, then I couldn’t be hurt when I had to move in the middle of the night, change schools a few weeks before break, or when my mother walked out the door and never came back.
Connor finally made his tile selections on the last apartment unit, and we were essentially done for the day. I made the notes I would need for the order, but I was still lost in my thoughts of the past. I walked out of the unit in front of Connor onto the landing, still writing down the granite name and the measurements we had taken earlier. My mind was circling with thoughts of the current project and thoughts of the past, and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I knew better than to get distracted on a construction site, but my mind was deeply lost in bad memories when I heard, “Ladd! Look out!” But it was too late, Connor yelled at me just as I tripped on a broken floorboard and began to pitch forward over the second story banister, heading toward the floor below. I was staring down at the empty marble foyer for what felt like a lifetime and knew I was going down. I was so scared of the pain I would feel and the possibility I wouldn’t survive, all because I had been living in my bad memories yet again. I knew it was only a split second, but I had enough time to come to few decisions as I pitched over toward my fate. But before I could make it all the way over, I was jerked back suddenly against something solid, and I closed my eyes to keep away the panic that suddenly began settling in.
“My God, you scared the life out of me. When I saw you trip, I was afraid I wouldn’t get to you in time.” Connor was talking softly but intently in my ear now. I was still being held closely, my back to Connor’s solid chest, and the strength I felt behind me helped me to calm down slightly. His breathing was as erratic as mine, and I knew we’d both been scared to death at the possibility he couldn’t catch me in time. I wiggled a little, thinking I needed to stand on my own and not rely too much on Connor, but he held tight and wouldn’t let me go. “No, give yourself a minute to get your legs back under you. And let me hold on for a second while I calm down, too, if you don’t mind too much. I feel like if I let you go right now, you’ll still be falling. Does that make sense?”
I settled back more comfortably and jus
t soaked up the safety Connor’s hold seemed to be providing. It felt wonderful in Connor’s strong arms, so I leaned my head back against his sturdy chest and just nodded slightly. “Yeah, it makes perfect sense actually. I feel like the only thing keeping me from pitching over that railing again is you.” I reached my hands up and clasped them over Connor’s where they were holding me around my slim chest. As we stood there, I noticed how perfectly I fit against him, my head sitting just under his chin which he was now rubbing back and forth on the side of my head in an unconscious caress.
It was so peaceful that we just stood for long minutes neither one of us speaking to break the quiet contentment. Time actually didn’t seem to mean anything in those moments. Connor just held tight, and I soaked in the feeling of safety he was lending me. It was the first time I could ever remember feeling this safe with a man. It might have been the adrenaline wearing off, but I didn’t think so. I was pretty sure it was all Connor. It felt like nothing and no one could ever get through the hold Connor had around me, and I never wanted it to end. But like all things, the moment did finally end when my alarm started going off on my phone.
I squeezed Connor’s hands and pulled out my phone and realized it was later than I thought. I was due back at the office for another appointment. “Damn, I’m supposed to be back at the office for a meeting in thirty minutes.” I did not feel like sitting in a meeting at this moment. I wasn’t even sure if I could stand on my own, let alone drive to the office. My heart was still racing, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d almost died and there were so many things I hadn’t done yet in my life. Still holding me tight, Connor reached down and took my phone from my hands. He thumbed through my contacts, found the name he was looking for and called the number. It rang twice before a familiar voice said, “Ladd dear, I know, you’re running late again, right? It’s fine, honey, you don’t even really need to be here if it’s going to be a problem. You should stay there with that lovely Connor and y’all have lunch together. He’s such a nice catch, Ladd dear.”