by Stella Rhys
“Fuck that. Blueberries was the tradition growing up.”
“Yeah, but you’ve always lived to rebel against your family’s traditions,” I snorted. “I mean isn’t that the reason you cheered for all LA teams growing up? And fled New Jersey the second you turned eighteen? Figured you would’ve been Team Strawberries just to piss everyone off.”
Adam laughed. “Nah. Team Blueberries forever,” he said, sounding mostly thawed from whatever mood he’d been in. Mission accomplished, I smiled to myself as I took a bite of my food. “So what did you call Holland for this morning?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing.”
He gave me a look. “Your voice just went up two octaves,” he said dryly. Read: I know what you sound like when you’re lying. I narrowed my eyes
“Fine, I was thanking her for the use of her employee discount, which is what I used to buy my copious amounts of lingerie for Caspar last week,” I said with a breeziness that I was using specifically to hide the tension I now had as I waited for Adam to make me sweat by saying something dirty.
But to my surprise and relief, he didn’t.
I did notice the single tick of his jaw at the mention of lingerie, but rather than saying something sexual, he opted to give me his usual shit.
“You still managed to drop three hundred dollars while using her discount?” he asked, clicking away at his screen.
“Trust me, it’s not that hard.”
“It’s a fifty percent discount.”
“Well, I bought the really good stuff,” I said, my words coming off sultrier than I meant because they prompted Adam to hit me with a look just as I was licking the whipped cream off the tip of a berry.
His stare moved to my tongue then to me. “You’re kidding, right?” he said.
“I didn’t know you were going to look up right then!”
“New rule, you can’t eat in my office anymore.”
“But everyone asks where my food is from when I eat outside!”
“It’s not that hard to lie, AJ, now get out,” Adam said, and though he was laughing, I knew he was serious, so I held my hands up and said “alright, alright,” grabbing my food and leaving.
I was still grinning by the time I got to my desk, but my smile faltered as soon as my eyes landed on the notifications glowing on my phone screen.
Texts.
From Caspar.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, already sensing the trouble as I grabbed my phone off my desk.
CASPAR: Seth told me you’re coming to get your things tonight and I just want to let you know that I plan to be home.
CASPAR: You’re welcome to come back but I’m not going to let you pack your bags until we talk. It’s been over a week AJ. We clearly have things we need to discuss like two adults. You’re my fiancee for Christ’s sake and I’m not going to give up on our union just because you’re not thinking straight.
Our “union”? What a douche.
CASPAR: I don’t want to do this but if you force me to I will tell everyone why this actually ended and I’m pretty sure the absolute last thing you want is for everyone, least of all your friends from college, knowing that you’re fucking your boss.
Unreal.
In a flash, I was seething. I seethed for literally every second of the next several hours of work, and though I hid it fairly well from Adam, I knew he’d detected the shift in my mood by our next conversation. And though I gave a pretty convincing “I’m fine” when he asked what was wrong, it stopped working by the end of the day, and I should’ve known.
Because in the way I could suss out his moods, he could suss out mine.
So the last time he told me to spit it out, I went ahead and showed him Caspar’s texts, which he took five seconds flat to read before handing my phone back, his jaw tight and his voice steely as he said, “I’ll go with you.”
I instinctively shook my head. “It’s fine, Adam. I’m just going to call Emily and—”
“Emily lives in Venice and it’s almost rush hour,” Adam said. “Let’s just do this so you can get rid of this jackass once and for all. I’ll just be there as back-up.”
I chewed my lip, considering the fact that Adam was five times Emily’s size and probably a better choice for this kind of mission. Plus, the whole point was to convince Caspar that I had moved on, and what better way to do that than show up with Adam?
“Is that a yes?” Adam asked, no doubt reading the glimmer of change in my face. I looked up at him.
“I want him to think we’re together,” I said, staring up at Adam as I watched the serious look in his eyes flicker with a hint of mischief.
“I got you covered,” he said, our eyes staying locked on each other for another few seconds. But then at the same time, a smirk touched our lips and Adam nodded toward the elevators. “Ready then?” he asked.
I grabbed my purse. “Let’s do it.”
16
AJ
Breathe.
It was the one word I repeated to myself the whole drive from the office, with Adam’s Range Rover trailing my Camry. We had discussed taking just his car to up the image of coupledom, but in the end, I’d nixed it for the sake of his convenience.
And perhaps my own nerves.
There was definitely a considerable amount of Caspar fury racing in my head and my heart right now, but there was something else too. Something I knew had to do with Adam, and the fact that we were about to appear before Caspar as a couple. Was I nervous? Or excited? Or both?
I couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it got briefly washed over as I finally pulled into the driveway of the little bungalow I’d shared with Caspar for years. Just looking at it made me seethe, immediately bringing back the full hurt and anger and resentment for my ex that had taken a backseat in the past week or so.
Which was kind of unfortunate.
Because if I weren’t so pissed, I would’ve enjoyed the stupid reaction on Caspar’s face when I turned my key in the front door and walked back into the house.
“AJ, what—”
He’d been waiting on the couch, but he launched straight up when he saw me.
Or rather, when his gaze slid past my shoulder at Adam walking in behind me. And just like that, his eyes were instantly wild, bugging on us as I processed the scene behind him on the kitchen counter. Two glasses of red wine poured. A candle lit.
Was he fucking kidding?
I was honestly ready to ask him, but he was too busy frothing at the mouth, starting several different sentences before he finally spit out a full string of words.
“Motherfucker—you have no right to be in my house! I want you out! Now!” he snarled at Adam, who had been trailing me by a few steps.
But I could feel the heat of his body behind me now, making my breath briefly hitch in my throat, especially as he slid his assuring palm along my hip and let his fingertips settle on my hipbone.
I couldn’t help but peer up at him, my heart starting to pound as I saw him staring at Caspar with utter boredom.
“Nah, I’m good here,” he finally said, and with the ease of someone who knew he couldn’t be physically removed from anywhere.
By anyone.
I could see that face actively stirring fury in Caspar’s eyes, thoroughly wounding his precious ego as he stared at him another few seconds. But then as if accepting he was no match for even half of Adam, Caspar turned to me, livid.
“AJ, if you don’t get him out of our house in two seconds, you’re never getting your shit back. The bedroom door’s locked and only I have the key, so maybe think twice about being a fucking stupid bitch,” he hissed, making my temper flare fast.
But even faster was Adam.
“Adam—don’t!”
My hands were suddenly flat on his chest as I stopped him mid-lunge toward Caspar, who’d cowered so sharply I’d caught the motion from the corner of my eye.
It filled me with that much more disgust for my ex, but I paid it no mind as I slid my hand
from Adam’s chest to his shoulder, willing him to look at me and calm down, but I wasn’t doing the best job.
I was busy being stunned myself.
Because it wasn’t an act.
Adam’s jaw was tight, his muscles tense and his eyes blazing as he stared Caspar down. But when I moved my hand to the back of his neck and repeated his name, he looked down at me.
“It’s okay,” I said, my voice coming out in a whisper and making me feel oddly sheepish, because I’d never touched or looked at Adam like this before, and I couldn’t tell if I was playing up my affection right now.
Or if it was real.
I couldn’t tell as he nodded and put his hand on top of mine if this part was an act, and it had my head all mixed up until Caspar’s seething voice brought me rudely back to earth.
“For fuck’s sake, AJ. You of all people know what’s going to happen here.”
Turning back around, I didn’t try to hide my irritation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Caspar,” I said. He shook his head.
“I’m talking about how I should’ve never spent all that time being there for you after the shit that happened in college,” he said with a cruel sneer on his lips. “It was clearly a waste of time since you were just gonna go ahead and become the exact kind of dumb girl Schilling thought you were.”
My throat tightened suddenly as I felt Adam still behind me.
Because he recognized Schilling’s name.
Of course he did. Everyone in the sports world did.
Fucking asshole. It was my turn to shake my head at Caspar, amazed that he would bring that up the way he did. I felt so immediately rattled by his words.
Of course, I refused to show it.
“Listen, I get it, Caspar,” I said, my voice low, a sharp murmur. “You’re finally realizing that I am done with you, so you’re trying to go for the jugular, but let me just save you the time, because I know exactly who I am. I know exactly what I’ve accomplished entirely on my own, and nothing you say is going to make me insecure the way you are,” I informed him, and as mortified as I currently was, I meant every word of it. “So just give me the key so I can get my stuff and we can get out of—”
“We?” Caspar interrupted fast. “As in you and Maxwell?” he scoffed, looking at Adam and giving a bitter laugh that was way too long and performative. “AJ. People like him—with the power, the money—they know they can do whatever they want to you before kicking you to the curb. And that’s exactly what he’s going to do with you. The second he finds a better pussy to—”
“Watch it,” Adam cut in, making me instinctively reach for him as he stepped forward. But he didn’t go further, staying next to me and letting me hold onto his arm just to be safe as he spoke to Caspar in a heated mutter. “Look, I know I may be wasting my breath here since your particular brand of delusion is stronger than most,” he said, waiting a beat to let Caspar seethe over his words before he went on. “But the fact of the matter is that you don’t know shit about my relationship with AJ. You’re actually more clueless than I would’ve ever even imagined given you cheated on a woman you should’ve been thanking God every day you even had.”
My heart slammed in my chest, my eyes darting from Caspar to Adam as he spoke now with ease, his eyes on fire but his voice calm, relaxing with every word that left his lips.
“In case you forgot, I’ve been with AJ for five years too. But the difference is I’ve known her worth since the day she came into my life, and I never forget it for a second. I know exactly what she brings to the table. That there isn’t anyone else like her out there. I know I wouldn’t have made it anywhere close to this far without her, and that’s what sets my five years apart from yours. I know how fucking lucky I am. And I know to never do anything to screw that up.”
In the silence that followed, his words lingered in the air. And for several seconds, all I heard was my pulse slamming in my ears.
I didn’t know when it happened—I suspected it was me—but at some point, my hand had slid down from hugging his arm and entwined itself in his fingers. And not only had he let it happen, he’d held on tight, squeezing in a way that drew Caspar’s eyes.
He stared for a moment, as if the image of our locked fingers was the nail in the coffin. And when he looked at me again, I could tell he believed it now.
That we were real.
The bitterness in his eyes was so strong now that it was clear he was no longer trying to hide it.
“I’ll just tell everyone at Engelman that you two are fucking,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s where you’re wrong, jackass,” Adam said comfortably. “There’s no rule against this at the company, so it won’t hurt AJ’s career. But it’ll kill yours before it even starts, because we both know I have every connection you could possibly want. I know everyone worth knowing in this city—every last person you want to work with, to get funding from, and I promise you, if you do anything to try and make her life more difficult, I’ll make sure none of your work will ever see the light of day.”
Adam paused, letting his words sink in as a promise.
“Now do yourself a favor and hand over the key,” he finished.
It took several seconds and some scowling, but finally, Caspar dug into his pocket, lobbing over the key that Adam caught without taking his eyes off of him.
“Test it,” he said, handing it over to me.
Heart pounding, I did exactly that, going down the hall and sliding the key into the keyhole of my bedroom door. As soon as it turned, I headed back.
“It works,” I said to Adam, and though his nod was directed at me, he didn’t take his eyes off of Caspar.
“Come back in three hours,” he said.
Despite his calm, it was every bit a demand, and it made Caspar’s nostrils flare with what looked like defeat. He stared at Adam, then at me, and in some last-ditch effort to say something to me, he stepped toward me.
But in no time, Adam had me pulled into his side, his hand on the small of my back and my breasts pressed against him as he watched my ex finally go, his eyes fixed tightly on Caspar.
And my eyes fixed tightly on him.
His body felt hot and hard against me, and as I studied the strong angle of his jaw, the perfect shape of his lips, I felt a mix of heat and gratitude surging through me.
It was a warm, buzzing sensation that traveled through my veins up to my lips, parting them as soon as the front door shut and Adam looked down at me again, his eyes immediately reading the look in mine.
I could tell by the way he swallowed, his throat moving as he studied my eyes, my lips for two seconds of thick silence. When he looked back up at me, I could tell he was trying to be firm. But his voice was a soft murmur as he said, “Let’s go pack, AJ.”
And when I shook my head, he didn’t look surprised. But he did swallow again, looking resistant as he asked his question.
“What do you want to do?”
ADAM
It was like zero to sixty.
Without a word spoken, she already had me hard as a rock, helpless to do anything but watch in awe as she gripped a small handful of my shirt and guided me to the couch.
Jesus fuck.
My dick throbbed as I watched AJ get on her knees, and though it was clear what was happening, I still couldn’t believe it, because despite the fact that she was my assistant, I’d never in my life seen her act quiet, submissive. Yet here she was, so uncharacteristically docile, looking so eager to serve me as she leaned gently forward, pressing her firm tits lightly against my legs as she undid my belt, button and zipper.
Christ.
So this was really happening.
With my every sense perked wide awake, I stared, unblinking as I watched her take out my hard cock, giving me barely any time to react before I felt the wet heat of her mouth wrapped tightly around it.
“Oh fuck, AJ.”
My head fell back for a second and a groan tore from my throat as she started sucking
me greedily from the first goddamned second. Holy fuck. Her pink lips were stretched so perfectly around my thickness, and her cheeks hollowed as she gave pulls so immediately long, wet and tight on my shaft that I had to stop myself from tugging the hell out of her hair as I threaded my fingers through it.
But her mouth felt so good I just wanted to fuck it.
I wanted to take full control. To go fast and hard the way I liked it. But with my every muscle flexed tight, I restrained myself, not letting myself move my hips let alone thrust into her mouth.
Because I needed to savor this.
I had no idea what was happening. If or when I’d get to feel this again. So I forced myself to just sit goddamned still, to simply watch in awe as AJ kept eagerly sucking on my cock, swirling and fluttering her tongue against my hot skin, spreading sweet wetness all over my shaft and withdrawing her mouth only to watch the fat drop of pre-cum beading at my tip.
Fuck me… you have got to be kidding me, I thought as she lifted her eyes to mine, sticking her pink tongue out and licking it off, humming with pleasure as she sucked my tip clean and pulled a low, gravelly sound from the pit of my throat.
“Fuck, AJ, that feels so good,” I cursed as she dropped her mouth back down on me while pushing the top of her dress off her shoulders, making me want to bust in her mouth as she treated me to the sight of her tits. “So fucking sexy.” I shook my head. “Look at me,” I rasped, convinced I was in heaven as soon as AJ obliged, lifting her gaze and keeping her beautiful eyes on me even as she filled her mouth with my cock, jerking and sucking me off like she was desperately craving my cum.
Stroke after stroke, she took more of me inside her, getting those swollen lips closer and closer to my root, till my tip was pulsing against the back of her throat, forcing me to growl like an animal as I pulled her hair hard.
Sensation was trickling in from every corner of my body now, my balls tightening as I felt the build-up of pleasure ready to explode. Fuck.
“I’m going to come,” I warned when I couldn’t hold out any longer.