The Boardroom Series – Complete Boxed Set (Boxes 1 – 6) : An office romance turned seductive submission

by Annabel Lucas

  “Hey.” She moved in close, wanting to hug and hold him, he leaned into her but did not take her in his arms. His hands closed on hers.

  “Hey.” His voice was hoarse and pained.

  It hurt her heart to hear him sound that way. “How is he?”

  Ryan took a deep breath before he spoke. His eyes shimmered with tears. “Not great. As I understand it, he’s been dealing with cognitive heart failure for a while now. The doctors advised him against this trip, and he ignored their best advice.”

  “Oh no,” the words slipped from her lips as he went on.

  “They’ve taken him in for emergency surgery. It’s not good. Tessa is so distraught. She wanted him to come but didn’t realize the physical strain the trip would put him through.”

  Shane slid her hands from his and moved into him, hands on his back, stroking and pulling him to her. “Michael and Drew are blaming themselves.” Ryan leaned into Shane, accepting her warmth and comfort. His rigid spine and tight shoulders slumped into her, curving around her as he slid his face against her neck. “He’s been managing his illness mostly on his own. He believes hard work and a balanced diet is the cure for everything. He came into this trip, thinking," Ryan's voice cracked" that sleep, and sunshine would cure his weak, worn-out heart.”

  His words drifted into ragged breathing, and he let her hold him.

  "Ryan?" It was a nurse, the slim one with a gentle voice. "They're taking him in for surgery. The others want you would want to come back before they take him.”

  He did. Ryan turned without a word and retreated into the Emergency room behind the nurse.

  Shane waited a while longer uncertain of the etiquette. What do you do when your client has a heart attack during a big meeting? Do you sit in the waiting room during his emergency surgery?

  She waited a while before she texted Ryan.

  “Checking on you”

  She waited.

  “How is it going?”

  “I'm worried.”

  “Ry?”

  He didn't reply to any of her texts.

  She waited an hour longer than she thought she should before she called the Uber.

  Shane approached the woman at the front desk. “I think it’s time for me to go. Would you let my friends know I waited?” The words fell flat. It felt wrong to stay and wrong to leave. The nurse nodded, “Of course.” and turned away to answer a ringing phone.

  She felt sick for them. Waiting without knowing what was going on inside was killing her.

  Shane called the Uber to take her back to the hotel. She was creating a to-do list in her mind. After all, doing something was better than waiting. Shane moved through the automatic doors.

  The sun was setting, changing the day from dusk to dark as it burned a final trail of fire across the sky. The tension in her body shifted as she walked, her skin drinking in the desert heat. Her fingers itched for pen and paper, wanting to extend the relief her body felt from the weather to her mind by emptying it of all the thoughts. Focus helped. Taking care of the emergency helped her let go of the worry she’d been wrestling with alone in the waiting room.

  The phone buzzed in her hand. Notification, the Uber driver was five minutes away.

  Shane dug in her purse for a pen and pad. She’d abandoned all the things she usually carried to downsize to this little purse for the trip. Stupid. Her fingers closed on a pen, no such luck with paper.

  The Uber driver pulled up in a white Tahoe. She hadn’t ordered the XL. She didn’t’ care. Shane slipped into the front seat beside the nondescript white driver. He was friendly and chatty, carrying the conversation as the city lights blurred. Later, when she tried to remember what they, or he had talked about, she could not recall.

  The front desk staff had changed while she was gone. The young shining faces were not the ones who had been here during Micah’s heart attack. Shane checked in at the front desk, making arrangements to send food up when the others arrived.

  It was a light meal- Deli meat with an assortment of bread, fruit, water, and hot tea. She was feeling all at once, exactly right, and exactly wrong in her choices. She didn't have to update the staff. They were aware a patron had been rushed out, sirens blazing.

  Shane stepped into the elevator to ascend to her room and checked her phone. Nothing. Maybe his phone was dead. The elevator doors opened, and a trio group of chattering girls waited for her to exit before entering. One wore a sash and crown, proclaiming her status as a bachelorette.

  Shane could not stop her fingers from texting. Hi, how is he? How are you??

  She paused, not confident at all that she should have left the hospital. I’m at the hotel. I made arrangements for a light dinner to be delivered to your rooms when you return.

  I'm thinking of you. The words fell short of what she wanted to convey. She felt incredibly far away.

  She moved down the hallway, her footsteps silenced by thick carpet leading to her room. Shane slipped her keycard into the door and was rewarded with the green light. Her eyes burned with tears. Why the hell wasn’t he texting her back? She dialed his number and reached his voice mail. “Hey, I’m worried. Call me back.”

  She would worry about tomorrow. She moved into the darkened room, leaving the entry light burning. She was so tired. She collapsed onto the king-size bed pulled the duvet around her shoulders. Not bothering to kick off her boots or undress, she let sleep overtake her.

  She woke to voices in the hallway, carefree and noisy. Her body was trembling with the waking exhaustion that comes after too much stress and little sleep.

  Shane checked her phone to discover that she had missed two calls and a voice mail from Ryan. She’d been asleep for an hour.

  With fumbling fingers, she struggled to retrieve the voice mail; shifting in the bed, she caught a glimpse of herself in the long dark mirror across the room. She looked rumpled and weary from lack of sleep; her hair was a tangle of untamed curls. She waited for the voice mail to play.

  “Hi, Shanie.” His voice was tired and worn-out, but hopeful. She heard the hope before he spoke the words. "Micah made it through the surgery. He’s in intensive care now, but the doctors are positive. They’ve got him under close watch. The night nurse is a dolly.” Shane heard female laughter in the background. “We all are grateful she’s on watch tonight, and he’s her number one priority.”

  The words were for the nurse, not for her. She wasn’t bothered. Her lips curled into a smile. That boy was a charmer. He lowered his voice, "I'm sure you're asleep now. I'll call you in the morning." He had an audience. She could tell in the space between the words. "Thank you," there was a pause “for everything.” And he was gone.

  Shit. She couldn’t believe she’d missed the call. She wanted to go to him, to be with him. She wanted to sleep in his room, to be there when he returned, but she didn’t have a key to his hotel suite. She didn’t even know if he was leaving the hospital.

  As relief flooded in, so did hunger, and suddenly, she was ravenous. Shane fumbled through her memory of her day, to find the last source of nourishment and landed on the Neapolitan pizza. It had been delicious. Her belly rumbled again.

  Shane scanned the room for a menu or the hotel handbook that recommended good food or just-food. At this point, anything would do. She found the room service menu. Shane sought comfort food and ordered hot tea, chicken strips with ranch, and sweet potato fries. It would be ready in twenty minutes for pick up or delivered in an hour. Pickup, please.

  Stripping down, Shane slipped out of her boots and allowed her achy feet respite.

  She slipped into the shower and washed the day away. Twenty minutes later, she was clad in yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt, and flip flops. Her damp curls twisted into a knot on the top of her head. She had no desire to impress.

  CHAPTER 5

  Unveiled

  S hane descended the hotel’s tower to the ground floor and found the brightly lit snack bar. The place was packed with hotel and casino patrons. A gi
rl behind the counter nodded at her and took Shane’s room number.

  “It’ll be a few minutes. If you’d like to have a seat, I’ll call you when it’s ready.” The girl handed her a steaming to-go cup with her hot tea.

  Shane smiled and nodded, moving out of the way to wait for her dinner. She found an out of the way table. Shane sank into the chair and observed the snack bar for what it was, a fishbowl.

  Outside the snack bar, patrons saw quick food options, liquor, smokes, whatever. The marketing was so strategic that she hadn’t even registered the eating area or patrons inside. Inside provided the snack bar shoppers a clear view of the front doors to the hotel and the hotel lobby.

  It was a lovely haven to watch people. Shane curled her fingers around her cup and breathed in the steam from her jasmine tea. She was grateful for the good news. While Micah wasn’t out of the woods, he was through the surgery. She’d heard the relief in Ryan’s voice, and because of it, she pushed her worry away. Shane went over her earlier caretaking to-do list. She’d cared for their clients, provided food and time to walk through the emergency. She was on top of the weekend schedule, ready to fill the next need. She was good. It was good. This was time for her to unwind.

  Shane watched people go by as she sipped the tea, testing its heat. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she told herself, she and Ryan would figure out the next steps of the deal. That would have to wait for now.

  She caught movements out of the corner of her eye and turned to see the counter girl approached her with a to-go container in hand. Shane smiled at her, and reached for the box, "thank you."

  “No problem. Enjoy.”

  Shane slipped her a five in exchange for the container, and the girl’s smile widened “thank you.” She said as she turned away.

  The day was ending on a much higher note than she thought it would. Shane sat for a moment more in the snack bar, building energy to re-enter the steady stream of partiers and gamblers. It seemed they were all out now. That was when she saw him. Ryan moved through the front doors, talking to the bellman. Relief and joy flooded her.

  Shane’s lips curled into a smile, and she stood, raising her hand. His name on her lips before she realized he couldn’t see her. Shit, she hadn’t even realized the snack bar had seats until she’d come in tonight. He was turning away from the doors waiting with his outstretched hand reaching for someone. Shane followed his arm and outstretched fingers with her eyes.

  It was Tess. He was reaching for Tess.

  Shane followed his outstretched hand with her eyes, and saw Tess reaching back. Shane shook her head to clear the onslaught of thoughts. She wanted to watch what would unfold. Tess looked tired and worn out. She did not take his hand; instead, she moved into him. Into that tidy nook under his arm, which appeared to be warm and waiting for her- a side hug. The kind you give your cousin at their bar mitzvah. She was pressed into him now with her arms wrapped around his waist, and his arm hung casually around her shoulders.

  Shane stood still. Her feet planted to the ground. Wait. Just give him a minute.

  Shane knew how it felt to be where Tess stood, arms around his narrow waist. Close enough to feel him breathe, to hear his heartbeat.

  Now, it was her heartbeat that rang in her ears.

  The voice inside her, the same one that implored her to wait, somehow wise and calm spoke. Friends, just friends at the end of an exhausting day. That’s all.

  That’s all. Shane watched as they moved across the hotel lobby in tandem toward the elevators, and realized her feet were moving. She was not moving fast enough to catch them, only to watch them.

  They stopped in front of the elevators. The area was suddenly devoid of gamblers and travelers. Ryan and Tess stood alone. Tess remained close, tucked under his arm. Then she turned to face him, her hands on his waist, in space Shane had occupied only hours before.

  Tess was taller than Shane and when she leaned in close, she didn’t need to stretch up on tiptoe to match his height. Shane watched them together like that for a moment. They stood with a sliver of space between them, before Tess closed the gap to meet his lips, as she kissed him

  Shane’ stomached tightened in disbelief. The arm that had been around Tess’ shoulders now slipped down her perfect body, and Ryan’s hand settled flat against her lower back. His body hadn’t moved to take her in; he simply took what she gave.

  His lips against her lips, his eyelids lowered watching. His lips connected to her, kissing without kissing. Maintaining the touch. The connection sensual. Shane’s heart sank as she tried to make sense of what she saw. He did not pull away, and he did not deepen the kiss. Tess did not attempt to draw him in with movement, it seemed the opposite. Instead she stayed still. Her long, limber body pressed into his. Shane could not help but notice in the contrast between them. Tess’ golden hair and soft curves complemented his dark hair and stormy eyes. His body hard and muscular body fit perfectly with hers, accentuating her softer side.

  It was not Ryan but Tess who drew away, standing almost eye to eye with him with her face inches from his, blocking Shane’s view, a blessing and a curse. Shane could not see his eyes or his expression. She was terrified of what was to come, not wanting to see, and unable to look away.

  They stood that way for a moment, before Tess wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in. It was only then that he dropped his head to her shoulder, taking comfort in her embrace.

  Shane’s frozen body snapped with a flash of anger as she watched them intertwine, his body wrapped around hers. The hunger in her belly twisted into nausea; the aroma of the food in her hands that had her mouthwatering only minutes ago, now turned her stomach.

  An elevator door opened, and Ryan pulled away momentarily before he guided Tess in. For a moment, they were out of sight, and then Shane watched as they took their place in the back corner. There was just enough time for Shane to witness their second embrace before the doors closed them off from public eyes.

  What. The. Fuck. What the literal fuck. Shane replayed the incident she’d just witnessed in her mind. Tess had turned into him and kissed him. He’d responded subtly, moving his hand to her back, kissing but not quite kissing. He hadn’t taken her into his arms. He hadn’t wrapped her up in his embrace, at least, not at the moment. He’d kissed her back. He hadn’t politely declined. It would have been alright to politely decline and say something like, “I’m seeing someone.” He was seeing someone. This morning it seemed like he’d been seeing her.

  From Shane’s vantage point, it didn’t seem like he’d said that. It seemed like he’d taken Tess into his arms and hugged her. He’d led her into the elevator, tucked against the warmth of his body, and then wrapped her up in his arms. That’s where the memory ended. The elevator door had cut it off, leaving only her imagination with fear and jealousy to carry on.

  What did she know for sure? He’d kissed her back. Disbelief settled into the reality of what she’d just witnessed. He kissed her back, he walked into the elevator with her, and he hugged her again.

  A group of giggling bachelorettes passed her- beautiful girls, shimmering and fresh with nice hair and perfect makeup. She was surrounded for a moment before they moved past her.

  Angry tears burned in her eyes. Shane blinked them back as she focused on the next breath. She took a step and another back to the elevator bank to take an elevator up to her room.

  She nodded at the bellman and stepped into the open elevator. Her elevator was not empty; instead, it was filled with patrons and chatter. She closed her eyes. Shane did not want to hear about dinner or the wedding or the excellent gym on the 4th floor. She just wanted to get back to her room.

  The door opened and closed more times than she could count before it reached her floor. When she reached her room and slipped inside, the dark quite soothed her, a stark contrast to her racing mind. Shane let the to-go box slip from her fingers into the trash.

  Her phone lay on the bed. She’d missed a call from Lila.

  Shane retrie
ved the phone and dialed her friend. She ached for Lila’s voice and wished for home. Shane heard Lila’s voice, warm and gushing over her.

  “I’ve missed you!!” She squealed. “Oh my god. I’m so glad you called me back. I’ve been dying to talk to you. How is it going?”

  Shane felt sick. “Hey." Her voice cracked under the word. Her throat was sore and thick with emotion.

  She felt Lila shift. “Shane. Are you okay? What happened?”

  Shane cleared her throat. “I’m okay.” Her voice hitched. The tears were burning her throat now as sob hitched in her throat.

  “Tell me everything.” Her friend was somber now, listening intently.

  Shane relayed the events of the day.

  ***

  Darkness beckoned, sweet and still. Shane’s eyelids were so heavy, her body exhausted from the stress of the day.

  She did not need to justify the events of the day that began with sex. She'd allowed him to hold her up on display as he'd fucked her to new heights and multiple orgasms. Even now, her body betrayed her by aching for him. She wanted his warmth wrapped around her. He had become a comfort to her body and soul. The day’s events unfolded in her tired mind, replaying the terrifying moments when Micah stopped breathing, waiting the hospital, and the kiss.

  Ryan and Tess’s kiss.

  She replayed it in her mind. Basking in the space between waking and sleeping, she watched it again and again.

  Ryan stood tall and stoic as Tess turned into him. He did not pull her in, nor did he push her away. He let her be. He let her have her way, and when she kissed him, he let her do that too.

  In replaying the memory, Shane found she could move closer to the couple to witness the kiss. She was drawn to them and repelled by the idea that he may want another.

  Ryan’s hands did not move over Tess’s body the way they moved over hers. He was stiff and tense. It occurred to her that stiff was an interesting word. Was his cock stiff? Did he want her? - The beautiful girl with her golden hair and tawny eyes. Shane remembered the way the perfect curves of her breasts pressed into his chest. She watched as his hand slid down the curve of her body over her tiny waist and the expanse of her hips. From here, Shane could see her belly was flat, and when Tess moved into him, she pressed against him with her full length leaving no gap between their bodies.