Change My Mind

by Ali Parker

  “I’m feeling a little parched myself,” he replied, falling into step next to me.

  I needed a minute alone. He was too close. He was making me feel things I didn’t want to feel, both good and bad. We grabbed flutes, and before I knew it, we were moving toward a quiet corner to be alone again.

  “Are you enjoying the evening?” he asked.

  “It’s been very nice. I’ve met some nice people.”

  Most of the people I met were the kind of people I would never truly associate with in my regular life. I was in Chase’s world tonight. This was the kind of function a girl like me attended to make connections. I was essentially interviewing future employers.

  I was not impressed with what I saw, but this was only a small handful of prospects. I didn’t have to stay in Vail. In fact, I doubted I would stay in the city. My home was in Boulder.

  I was only here for a short time, I reminded myself. I was living a life of luxury, and at midnight, I would turn back into a pumpkin. I was going to try and enjoy the remaining time I had. It was going to be difficult keeping my hands off the handsome man standing close beside me. I could smell his cologne, hear his breathing, and practically feel his lips on mine. I needed to back off the champagne or I was going to find myself asking him to take me to bed again.

  I couldn’t mix things up. That was then. We were in the now. I would not repeat the cycle.

  Chapter 35

  Chase

  The night was winding down. It had been a success in my eyes. I wasn’t quite finished introducing Harper to the business owners I knew would be the most interested in recruiting her. I wanted to make sure she met them and discovered who they were before she ever agreed to accept a position.

  Most of them truly were snakes. I trusted her judgment and knew she would come to the same conclusions, just like she did with Oliver.

  “There’s one more person I would like you to meet,” I said to Harper.

  She looked at me and grimaced before forcing a smile. “Sure.”

  I gently put my hand on her elbow and guided her toward the man that was my competition. His family owned a chain of hotels. I knew he was hoping to purchase land in Vail to open a hotel. He had money and he had connections.

  I didn’t want him to have Harper and the only way I could think to keep her out of his grasp was to let her meet him tonight. He was a notorious womanizer and he’d been enjoying the free cocktails.

  “Evan, how are you?” I asked as friendly as I could.

  “Chase,” he muttered before turning his eyes to Harper and smiling. He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Who is this lovely woman?”

  “Harper Lincoln,” she said.

  “Harper,” Evan repeated, letting her name roll off his tongue. “Are you Chase’s flavor of the month? If so, I’d like to call dibs on next month.”

  She snatched her hand back. “I need a drink,” she said and spun around on her heels and walked away.

  I was grinning when I looked back at Evan, who looked surprised. “What the hell was that about?”

  “She’s my marketing manager. I don’t think she appreciated being called my flavor of the month.”

  “You fucker. You did that on purpose.”

  “Evan, you did it to yourself. One of these days, that mouth is going to get you in real trouble.”

  “Do you really think you can keep her from me? I can pay her more. Everyone here knows what you’re doing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We all know she’s the best in the business. You never would have pulled off this little hat-trick without a talented woman like her in your corner. She’s temporary.”

  “She is not.”

  “I heard it from someone that knows.”

  My stomach sank. Who knew our arrangement was temporary? Was she already looking for a job?

  “Good luck, Evan.” I walked away.

  I didn’t like the idea of anyone trying to poach her. I knew it was going to happen. News traveled fast, especially in the rather small business community. She would have ten offers by the end of the month. I couldn’t let her leave me.

  I went in search of her and found her helping with the cleanup. She was moving from table to table and shutting off the flameless candles. She was carrying a flute in one hand, smiling and chatting with the staff. I watched her for a few minutes before moving toward her.

  “I was hoping to grab you for a minute,” I said.

  “Chase, you’ve been grabbing me for a minute all night,” she said with a laugh.

  “This is different. Can we go to my office for a debriefing?”

  She quirked an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. “As long as that is not a double entendre,” she said with a laugh.

  “Absolutely not. The briefs stay on. It’s strictly professional, hence my office instead of my room.”

  She gave me a look before slowly nodding. “All right, I suppose we can debrief tonight.”

  I grabbed a bottle of champagne and two clean glasses. Together, we walked out of the ballroom and outside, taking the path that was free of ice and snow thanks to my heated sidewalks. It was cold, but it felt refreshing after being in the hot room for hours. I turned on the small lamp that sat on a table near the door of my office and gestured for her to take a seat on the sofa.

  She immediately sat down. “I have to take these heels off. Forgive my lack of professionalism but my feet are killing me.”

  “Please, get comfortable,” I told her and opened the bottle before pouring us two glasses. “Take off anything that makes you feel better.”

  She smirked, not missing my attempt to get her naked. I had to try. She would think something was wrong with me if I didn’t flirt a little.

  I handed one of the half-full glasses to her and watched as she sipped it, leaning back against the couch. Despite the exhaustion I knew she had to be feeling, she looked incredible. She always looked good.

  Maybe it was the cleavage that had been playing peekaboo with me all night. Maybe it was my lust for her. I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. She was gorgeous.

  I loosened the bow tie and left it hanging around my neck. I quickly undid the top two buttons of my shirt and took off my jacket. It did feel much better to loosen things up.

  “What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

  “What did you think about some of the people you met tonight?”

  She shrugged. “They were fine.”

  “I mean for potential bosses. I was approached a couple of times from fellow business owners who heard you were on the hunt for a new job.”

  She grimaced. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how that got out there.”

  “It’s fine. I wanted you to meet some of the potential employers.”

  “I don’t think I could see myself working for any of those people. Tawny is great, and I would love to work with her, but she isn’t hiring just yet.”

  “I see,” I said, taking a seat in the chair facing the sofa.

  “And Oliver,” she said with a groan. “That guy is next level. I think he is the kind of guy that has a dungeon.”

  I smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you hoped.”

  She shrugged, finished her glass, and got to her feet. “It’s no big deal. I don’t have to work in Vail.”

  I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to leave at all, but I didn’t think it was quite the right time to offer her a permanent position just yet. She took off an earring and then the other.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I’m giving these back to you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they were for tonight. Tonight is over.”

  I stood. “Don’t. Keep them. Consider it a bonus. They look too good on you for you not to have them. They match your eyes and no other woman could ever do them justice.”

  “I can’t keep these!” she exclaimed.

  “Sure, you can. Please.�
��

  She looked up at me with those green eyes that melted my heart every damn time. “Chase,” she said my name on a breath.

  I was certain I knew what she was asking. I felt it too. The dancing had been foreplay. I wanted her. The way she was looking at me said she was thinking the same thing. I took a chance, hoping I didn’t get kicked in the shin, and kissed her.

  She didn’t push me away. My mouth opened wide, swallowing her as much as humanly possible. The quiet of the room was disturbed by the slurping and sucking of our passionate kiss. I didn’t care how loud it got. No one would hear us.

  I slid my mouth over her jaw and down her neck. I focused on the crook of her neck and collarbone, sucking the flesh into my mouth before running my tongue over it. I heard her soft whimpers and was encouraged to keep going. My hands reached around her and found the zipper of her dress. I slowly pulled the zipper down, doing my best to keep it from making a single sound. I didn’t want to scare her off.

  My mouth went back to hers, distracting her from the fact I was pulling the zipper all the way down. When it went as far as it would go, I reached for the straps and slowly pulled them down her arms. She didn’t resist. I immediately realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Her breasts spilled over the gown as I pulled it down. They were too tempting to resist. I dropped my mouth to her nipple, cupping one full breast in my hand as I lovingly suckled. She groaned, arching and thrusting her breast deeper into my mouth. I sucked harder, squeezing and massaging before moving to the other one.

  My hands dropped to the dress, pushing it over her hips. She was dragging in heavy breaths, arousal making her skin warm. I came up for air, taking a second to look at her face. Her eyes were half closed, her head back as her chest heaved up and down.

  “Beautiful,” I breathed, knowing I wouldn’t be satisfied until I was able to taste her. I pushed the black thong shielding her down her legs. She shuddered once again as my fingertips traced over her thighs.

  I gently pushed her back onto the couch, dropping to my knees in front of her. Her head came forward, her eyes still filled with desire as she looked at me. I put my hand in the middle of her chest and gently pushed. “Sit back.”

  “Chase,” she said my name with a plea in her voice.

  I opened her legs, staring down at the beautiful pinkness between them. I grabbed behind her knees and jerked her butt forward until she was on the edge, literally and figuratively. I dove right in, running my tongue over her soft folds and tasting the very essence of her. A soft mewling sound escaped her lips.

  “Yes,” she cried.

  I slid one finger inside her before pushing my tongue in. She tasted like honey. Her sweet scent filled my senses, combining with the taste of her on my tongue. I felt drunk with the lust I felt for her. I couldn’t get enough. I suckled and lapped until she released the fire within her. I drank it up, relishing every last drop of the sweet nectar.

  I was addicted to the woman. I didn’t see myself ever being over her. She was the only woman I could see myself with. Ever. I looked up at her, watching her breasts heave up and down. Her head lolled forward, a small smile on her lips.

  “Wow,” she said.

  “That’s nothing,” I whispered and got to my feet to take off my clothes.

  She stood in all her naked glory and kissed me before helping me undress. She didn’t appear to be in a hurry. I had other needs. I was so hard I was afraid my dick would break. I needed to be inside her. I needed to feel all that wet heat wrapped around me and squeezing me tight.

  “Let me,” she whispered and did a very slow takedown of my pants.

  In an effort to save time, I attacked the buttons on my shirt. I was just reaching for the hem of my white undershirt when I felt her tongue on my cock. My knees nearly buckled. I felt like I had been struck by lightning. I wasn’t sure I would survive what she was doing to me. My heart pounded so hard in my chest it almost hurt.

  “God damn,” I groaned as I leaned forward to look down at her thick dark hair bobbing up and down on my dick. Never, ever in my life had I been so aroused.

  Chapter 36

  Harper

  I remembered the taste of him. Once my tongue lapped over his hard length, memories flooded me. I remembered the first time I went down on him.

  I remembered him gently telling me what he liked and didn’t like. They were instructions I never forgot.

  I sucked him deep into the back of my throat before ever so slowly pulling him out. My tongue circled the head of his cock, lapping up the salty juices telling me just how much he liked it.

  He groaned, his hands running through my hair. “So good,” he grunted.

  I moaned, my lips vibrating against the cock buried in my mouth. He hissed, jerking forward before reaching down and grabbing me under my arms. He pulled me up, my breasts rubbing against him. He quickly pulled off the shirt that kept him from being completely naked and slammed his mouth over mine.

  We kissed, rubbing our naked bodies against one another. Both of us moaned, pulling and tugging at each other. He pulled away, looking at me with glazed eyes. He slowly turned me around, my ass nestled against his groin. His hand moved down my side before sliding between us and gently pushing me forward. I knew what he wanted.

  I bent, placing my hands on the armrest of the sofa before turning to look over my shoulder at him. His eyes were locked on my ass. In a flash, he reached for me, sliding one hand between my legs and parting them just a little more. Then he grabbed his cock and guided himself inside me.

  I released a sigh of pleasure as he slid inside, filling me with his thickness until I could take no more of him. I arched my back, wiggled my hips, and managed to swallow the last bit of his girth.

  He stretched me, filled me, and tickled every nerve ending inside me. I felt the first shudder of an orgasm. I wasn’t ready. We were just getting started. He thrust hard, our bodies slapping together as he fucked me with hard, jerking thrusts. It was all it took. My body exploded around him. My nails dug into the leather stretched over the armrest.

  “Yes!” I shouted, releasing all the pent-up frustration and angst I’d been feeling since the last time he was buried inside me.

  He growled something unintelligible and moved again. He reached for my shoulder, pulling me up to a standing position with him still buried inside me. The new angle sparked new shivers of excitement. He suckled my neck while fondling my breasts.

  “You’re so wet,” he rasped. “So fucking wet I can barely hold back.”

  I felt myself grow wetter with his whispered words. “Don’t hold back.”

  “I don’t want this to end.” He slowly turned and sat down on the couch, pulling me down with him, my back to his face. “Ride me.”

  I put my feet on the floor and moved, grinding my hips around and around until I could feel another orgasm building. His tongue trailed down my spine, his fingers pinching my nipples before massaging my breasts as I moved over him.

  “That’s it,” he whispered. “Move, baby. Ride me.”

  I moved faster, my hands on his knees as I bounced up and down. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I was chasing another orgasm, and nothing was going to get in my way. His hands moved to my hips, jerked me onto his dick with force. Soon, we were both calling out in ecstasy.

  Once it was over, I attempted to move off him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me back down as he held me close. He said nothing, just held me. There were about a million emotions running through me. Everything was so intense with him. He made me feel better than anyone else, which gave him the power to hurt me like no one else could.

  I slid off his lap and onto the sofa. One of his arms remained locked around me. I craved his touch. There was no denying we were good together. Anytime we were together, there was this explosive chemistry that could not be ignored. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ignore it anymore.

  “Okay,” I said aloud.

  “Okay?” he asked with a laugh. “I think that was
at least two points above okay.”

  I slapped at his bare chest. “Do not start putting points on this.”

  “Sorry, I had to defend myself.”

  “I didn’t mean that was okay,” I explained. “I meant I’ve come to terms with the fact there is some serious sexual chemistry between us. We are obviously attracted to each other.”

  “Absolutely,” he said.

  “I hate feeling guilty.”

  “Why would you feel guilty?”

  “Because this is wrong. I mean, it’s right but so wrong.”

  “Woman, there is nothing wrong with the two of us being sexually attracted to each other.”

  “I do feel guilty because I always tell myself I’m not going to sleep with you and then I end up sleeping with you. It’s wrong. I can’t keep doing it.”

  “Okay,” he said hesitantly.

  “But I’m tired of feeling bad about it. I want it and I don’t see why I can’t enjoy it while I’m here.”

  “Is it me or my cock?”

  I slapped his chest again. “Stop it.”

  “I’m just trying to understand what me or my cock is getting into.”

  I was not explaining myself very well. “I’m here until New Year’s, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I would not mind having a friends-with-benefits thing with you until I leave. We both get what we want.”

  “Do I get a say in this?”

  I ignored his question. He’d been trying to get me in his bed since I showed up. I knew what he wanted. “This has to be between us only. No one else can know about this. I don’t want anyone to know about this. I don’t want my reputation to be the one who sleeps with the boss.”

  He was quiet for a few seconds. “And then what?”

  “And then I will find a new job. I’m not looking for a relationship.”

  “Isn’t a friendship a relationship?”

  “No. Yes, but no. Not this. I don’t want strings. I like having sex with you, but I don’t want all the crap that goes with it.”