Craving Redemption: Forbidden Series #4

by Lorraine, Tracy

  Trey stays at the office for a little over thirty minutes as I get everything I need to set him up, ready to start on Monday. The moment the door closes behind him, I think I release the largest breath I’ve ever held.

  How can this be fucking happening?

  I know it’s karma for everything that happened with Nick, I know it is, but it doesn’t mean any of it is fair. I’m trying to prove to both Ben and Lauren that they were right in not firing me when the truth came out, but it’s just got a load fucking harder if I’m going to have to spend my days being tortured by him.

  Chapter Five

  “You due on your period or something? You’ve been a right moody bitch the past few days.” I cut Joe a seething look, but it doesn't faze him at all.

  “No. I’m not.”

  “So, what the fuck’s wrong then. You haven’t been yourself since last weekend. Oooh, is it the suit? Having withdrawal symptoms?”

  “What? No. It was a one-night-stand. I got what I needed, and if he was lucky then so did he.”

  His eyes assess me, I guess to try to work out of I’m lying or not. “With the way you looked when you got in, I think it’s safe to say he got what he needed.”

  I fight to keep the blush from my cheeks, it’s not like me to get embarrassed so easily, but there was something about that guy. He’s still under my skin, no matter how much I may protest to Joe that he’s not. Joe is also totally oblivious that he’s our new colleague. I made Lauren promise to keep it to herself, seeing as I have no intention of screwing anyone else who works for Johnson & Sons ever again.

  “So what gives?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  “Is your mum okay? Sam?” he asks, referring to my older sister.

  “Yeah, everyone’s good. Can you just leave it?”

  He gives me a look that expresses how unhappy he is, but right now I don’t really have the energy to give a fuck. My focus needs to be on work, one-hundred percent. I need to put all my energy into getting the new office set up and then into proving to both Ben and Lauren that I can fix the mess I helped make. I’m a huge part of the reason why we’re moving offices and digging the company out of the hole. If I just had a little more integrity and was able to say no when Nick started helping me out, none of this would have happened.

  “You need to get laid,” Joe states, getting up and putting his empty plate into the dishwasher and heading towards his room. “And don’t even think about asking me. I’m not sure I could live up to the suit.” His shoulders shake with his laughter as he disappears. Dickhead.

  Letting out a sigh, I drop my knife and fork and fall back into my chair. I hate feeling like this. I’m on edge all the time, worrying that something else I allowed to fall through the net at work is going to come back and bite me on the arse. It helps now that Joe’s living here and helping me with the mortgage, but I can’t lose my job and then ultimately my home. I’ve worked too hard, saved every penny I had spare to own my own place.

  Scraping what’s left on my plate into the bin, I throw it down on the counter and march towards my bedroom. Joe’s right: getting laid would probably help lose some of my tension. It’s just a shame that the only man I can picture fucking right now is one I really need to stay away from.

  * * *

  Staring into my wardrobe, I spend much longer than usual trying to decide what to wear to work. I usually put zero thought into it and drag out the first clean outfit I have, but it’s a very different story this morning and I’m already irritated with myself that I care.

  In the end, I settle on a pair of cut-off black trousers and a white shirt with a frill down the front. I ignore the little voice in my head that tells me my choice is solely based on the fact that the shirt gives me killer cleavage and instead focus on the fact that I think it makes me look slimmer.

  My hair and make-up is done to perfection, and, as the seconds tick on the clock my nerves of what today is going to hold start to multiply.

  It’ll be fine. He’ll just turn up, sit at his desk and get to work, I tell myself. He probably won’t even look at me, let alone notice what I’m wearing.

  “Whoa. You got a hot date after work or something?” Joe asks after doing a double take when he finds me in the kitchen a few minutes later.

  “No, just trying to cheer myself up.”

  “So you admit something’s wrong, then?” His eyebrow pops and I frown at him. “Fine, fine.” With his hands up in defeat, he backs away, quickly snatching the travel mug I filled for him a few seconds ago. “I’ll cook tonight, and I’ll pick up your favourite pudding. Peace offering, yeah?”

  “Whatever,” I say nonchalantly, but the thought of digging into a New York cheesecake right now makes my mouth water. That should definitely help squash some of my cravings…if I could eat it off his abs.

  Dragging my mind from the gutter, I grab a cereal bar from the cupboard and head out the way Joe went a few minutes ago. Unlike him, who’s just jumped in a Johnson & Sons van to drive to site, I head down the road to the tube station to sit with hundreds of other Londoners on their commute into the city. My journey has more than doubled now I’ve got to get to Ben’s house. It might be closer in distance, but on public transport it’s a bitch and makes me mourn the loss of my car that little bit more.

  By the time I push through the door of Ben’s newly converted double garage, I’m a hot mess. Everyone’s already here and all sets of eyes turn towards me as I stumble over the threshold.

  “If that was meant to be a glamorous entrance, you failed,” Ben says with a laugh, but he’s the only one who’s amused.

  Lauren looks at me with concern laced through her features; no doubt Joe’s told her what kind of mood I’ve been in all weekend. Then there’s Trey. He stares at me like he’s about to march over and fuck me against the wall. That image entering my head makes my temperature spike even more.

  “Getting this side of town is a fucking nightmare,” I mutter, eventually managing to break my stare with Trey and walk over to my new desk, which I now realise faces his. Fuck my life.

  I keep my head down, not wanting to look into my colleagues’ eyes. We all know it’s partly my fault we’re here right now. I don’t need reminding of it once again.

  “Get a coffee, Erica. We’re meeting in ten.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” I give him a quick salute and race towards the kitchenette. There isn’t enough coffee in the world to help me get through today.

  Ben, Lauren, Trey, and Jenny, Ben’s mum, are already sitting around the giant table in the main office when I enter. “You’re late. Take a seat,” Ben barks, playing the part of being the boss perfectly. I manage to contain my proud smile and rush towards the closest empty seat. Unfortunately, the second I look up from said seat I realise my mistake. It’s next to him.

  I stop breathing the second his scent fills my nose and his eyes burn into my skin. I fight to ignore him and focus on opening my notebook, ready to take minutes.

  Ben starts talking, but I’ve no fucking clue what about; I’m too lost to the feeling of Trey’s body only inches away from mine.

  My skin tingles and I watch out of the corner of my eyes as he leans towards me. Sucking in a lungful of air, I wait for what he’s about to say.

  “Nice shirt.”

  When I glance over, he’s staring right at my tits, and I feel stupid for looking so obvious.

  Shifting in my seat, I twist away from him and towards Ben, who’s still chatting away, hopefully not about something I need to know.

  The whole meeting, almost all my focus is on the man beside me. Thankfully, once I do manage to latch onto what Ben’s talking about, I realise most of the information is about our current jobs and getting Trey up to date. I just hope he’s able to pay more attention than I am.

  “I think that’s it. Trey, if you’re okay, I’ll take you out to a few of our sites now. Erica’s got your phone and log on details on her desk. Grab all of that, then we’ll head out, yeah?
”

  “You got it.”

  I’m out of that chair and then the office like the place is on fire. I continue past my desk and head for the toilet so I can have a minute or two to breathe.

  I feel ridiculous for allowing him to affect me this much. He’s just a guy. I’ve slept with plenty over the years; it’s not like what I did last weekend was unusual.

  What is unusual is how badly I want to be back in his bedroom again.

  Resting my hands on the sink, I stare at myself in the mirror. I really need to get a grip.

  He’s sitting on the edge of my desk waiting for me when I eventually emerge. His dark grey trousers are stretched tight over his muscular thighs, giving me just a hint of what I know is hiding beneath. My mouth goes dry as desire ripples through me at the memory of just how tightly he filled me.

  Lifting my eyes, I take in his black fitted shirt. It may as well be made to measure, the way it hugs his chest and strong arms. It’s not until I get to his face that I realise I’ve been standing here checking him out for way too long. The smirk playing on his lips tells me that he knows exactly where my thoughts are.

  His eyes dance over my body as I force thoughts of him naked from my head and make my way over to my desk.

  Rolling my chair forward, I grab his phone and documents from my drawer. When I look again, he’s leaning forward on my desk with his palms on the wood and his intense eyes on me.

  Clearing my throat, I suck in a breath and attempt to do my job. “Here’s your phone. I’ve already programmed in a lot of the numbers you’ll need, and your email is already set up. Here are your computer log on details; the system will prompt you to change your password the first time you log on. You’ve also got a laptop on your desk.” I nod my head towards where he’s meant to sit, but he doesn’t follow. Instead, his eyes stay locked on my tits. “Did you hear any of that?”

  “Phone, password, laptop. Yeah, I think I got it. I think you’ve missed something, though.”

  “Oh?”

  His eyes drop from mine once again. “I think I need a proper welcome to the office. You know, break in my desk and all that.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. The boss is waiting for you.” Thankfully, at that moment Ben appears from his office and looks over at us. “Best you run along now.”

  “Fine. But I’ll be back, and just so you know, that wasn’t a suggestion. We will be christening my desk. Yours, too, if you’re lucky.”

  My thighs clench at his words, but thankfully he turns and walks towards Ben and misses my reaction. He, on the other hand, looks totally unaffected about the prospect of fucking me a mere few feet from where the boss lives.

  “What are the plans for tonight, then?” Lauren asks after we’ve finished eating our lunch.

  “Uh…”

  “You have planned a night out, right? It’s what you do when a new member of staff starts.”

  I had a feeling this was going to bite me in the arse. Lauren knows me too well, but luckily for me, I have the perfect excuse to ensure I don’t have to end up on another night out with Trey.

  “Nope. There are age restrictions, remember?”

  “Seriously? You’re not organising drinks tonight because Trey is over your thirty-five age limit.” Her eyebrows rise, and I think she’s expecting me to tell her she’s joking any minute.

  “Seriously. He’s too old.”

  “Didn’t stop you fucking him though, did it?” Her voice is full of amusement as she reminds me once again of my mistake.

  “Touché.”

  “I guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”

  “W-what does that mean?”

  “He’s here to help save this place.” I wince, knowing what she means although her voice holds no accusation. “So the least we owe him is a night out.” Rolling my eyes, I go to argue. “Don’t even think about finding an excuse to get out of it.”

  Chapter Six

  The more the week goes on, the worse my mood gets. It’s all my own fault and my inability to get my head out of the gutter whenever I’m forced to look at Trey.

  Thankfully, Ben’s kept him pretty busy with site visits, but he’s been in the office almost all day today and I’m practically vibrating with the need for release. He hasn’t even really done anything to wind me up, just walking past my desk and filling the air around me with his scent is enough. I feel like a horny fucking teenager and I don’t like it. I should be able to control my desire, but, at this point, I fear the only thing that’s going to dampen it is him.

  It’s Thursday afternoon and Trey’s in Ben’s office. They’ve got the door shut, but the rumble of his deep, gravelly voice still filters through to me, leaving me sitting here squirming.

  The main door opens, catching my attention, and when I turn to look I find a very dirty Joe walking in.

  “Had a good day?” I ask with a laugh.

  “Yeah, great. Will pulled a ceiling down on my head.”

  “Shouldn’t you be at home showering? Ahh, get the fuck away from me,” I squeal when he comes over like he’s about to hug me.”

  “Glad to see you’re in a better mood,” he says with a laugh as he rounds my desk and drops into the seat at the other side. “Apparently we’re all going out Friday night. If you’re lucky, your suit might be at the bar. Hopefully another round or two with him will—”

  I stop listening when I spot the office door opening behind Joe’s shoulder. I pray that it’s going to be Ben who steps out, but because this is me and my luck is so shitty, of course it’s Trey who emerges, a shit-eating grin on his face.

  His eyes land on mine, amusement making them look more silver than their usual dark steel.

  Joe’s still talking, but my panic as well as the effect Trey’s stare has on my body means I don’t hear a word of it. When Trey’s smile only gets wider, I know it can’t be anything good.

  “Is that right?” Trey’s gruff voice fills the room, and it brings me back from my daze.

  I break my stare on him just in time to see Joe turn to see who’s behind him.

  His chin drops before he exclaims, “Holy shit.” He turns back to me before looking back to Trey again. “Now it’s all starting to make sense,” he chuckles. “So you didn’t fancy telling me that the ‘best shag of your life’ now works in this exact office?”

  “I…uh…fuck.” Joe narrows his eyes. Disappointment oozes from him that I’ve kept this to myself. All the while, Trey’s eyes continue to lighten with amusement.

  “Joe, can you…What’s going on?” Ben asks when he sticks his head out of his office and looks between the three of us.

  “Probably best you don’t know. You ready?”

  “Yeah.” He doesn’t sound very positive as he pulls the office door closed, still looking between us like we’re a puzzle he needs to work out.

  After a couple of seconds, both Ben and Joe leave the office. Glancing around, I realise for the first time that everyone else has left for the day. My heart thunders and my palms start to sweat. Being alone in a room with this man is not a good idea, especially with the way he’s staring down at me right now.

  “I-I need…I need to leave.”

  “Why? You got somewhere better to be?”

  “Uh…” I rack my brain for a smart answer, the kind that would usually fall from my mouth right about now, but while I’m captive in his grey eyes, my brain refuses to work. “Home,” I squeak when his lips curl into a smirk and I’m forced to say something.

  “How about I join you.”

  “What? No, that wasn’t an invitation.”

  “No? Your little friend seems to think it’ll be a good idea.” He rounds the desk and I roll my chair back in my pathetic attempt to keep some distance between us.

  “He…he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  “Really? He sounded like he knew exactly what would fix your current mood. And I must say, I agree with him.”

  My chair hits the w
all and I scramble out of it. My body screams “Yes!” as I do anything I can to stay far enough away from him, but thankfully my head’s winning the fight right now. I can’t let him touch me again. Just the memory of it has been haunting me. I can only imagine how bad it’ll become if I allow myself to experience him again.

  “Trey, we can’t do this.” My sensible side shows herself, and I continue backing away. We’re at work, the place where I should be proving myself, not allowing the new guy to put his hands on me. We can’t do this.

  I can’t do this.

  “It’s only you fighting it, sweetheart.”

  The disappointment that haunts Lauren’s eyes every time she looks at me pops into my head. I can’t let her down again. I can’t.

  “Trey, please.” His eyes flash with desire. “No, I wasn’t. Please.” Fuck, even to my own ears it sounds like I’m begging him.

  My back hits the wall, and I panic when I drag my eyes from his and realise that he’s backed me into a corner.

  My chest heaves, desire sitting heavy in my lower stomach, and my clit starts to pound from the memories of his touch alone.

  “It’s funny, because every time you say that it sounds like you want it more.”

  “Trey.” It’s no more than a moan as he takes one last step towards me. His scent fills my nose and my mouth waters for a taste of him, to feel his tongue dancing with mine, to feel the heat of his hands on my skin.

  “You need to stop denying yourself what you want, because we both know exactly what that is.”

  His heat burns my front as he closes the space between us. Ripping my eyes away from him, I stare down at the floor, hoping it’ll be enough to convince us both that this isn’t about to happen. He’s silent for a beat before a low and deep chuckle rumbles up his throat. His fingers find my chin and my head is moved so I have no choice but to look at him.

  “You’ve been thinking about kissing me again since the moment you walked out, haven’t you?”

  “No.” My voice doesn’t sound as strong as I was hoping. His eyebrow lifts in amusement.