Authors: Ashleigh Royce
“I really am sorry. You don’t even know me and I’m spouting off. Let me make it up to you.”
I had to make a decision. Did I want to stand my ground and stay away from Katie, or did she deserve a second chance? I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Let’s put this all behind us. We’ll start fresh. But just so you know, I’m not comfortable bad-mouthing anyone, particularly in our line of work. It’s a small industry, and very unforgiving. You never know who you’ll need in your future.”
Her expression became serious. She understood what I was saying. She n
odded. The elevator announced our arrival on the eleventh floor.
“Have a nice day, Katie,” I said, and walked out.
“What’s wrong? You look flustered,” Rebecca said when I walked back into the office.
“Just a difference in opinion. Flustered? Interesting choice of adjective.”
“It’s on my ‘word of the day’ calendar.” She laughed.
We ate quickly.
The rest of the afternoon was slow, if you can call reading through twenty-seven queries slow. At six o’clock, I stretched in my seat. Rose knocked and announced she was leaving for the day. Both of us wished her a good night.
We worked a little longer and grabbed some fast food down the block.
“I have to go home tonight,” Rebecca said. “I don’t have any clothes at your place, and there are only so many times I can get away with wearing yours.” She looked up through her lashes. It resulted in a direct infusion of energy between my legs.
“I could run to my place and pick up some clothes an
d then go with you to your apartment. That way I can still be with you tonight but not wear this,” I pointed to my attire, “again tomorrow.”
He
r expression brightened. “That is a great idea. You’re so smart. I knew I chose the right one to be my second in command.”
A quick trip to my apartment allowed me to throw together a duffle bag with a change of clothes and my toilet
ries. Then we hitched a cab to Rebecca’s place.
It was seven
o’clock. She walked into the kitchen. “Why don’t you shower? I’ll make us some coffee.”
I nodded and headed toward her bathroom. As the water hit me, I thought about how quickly I was falling for Rebecca. I hadn’t even had a moment to process the whole thing. And what amazed me most was that she wanted to be with me just as much as I wanted to be with her. My past relationships were al
ways superficial. The minute I got serious with a girl, she’d find a reason to dump me. I wondered if there was something wrong with me. But every moment I spent with Rebecca seemed right. We understood each other without working at it.
As I finished my shower, I wrapped a fluffy towel around my waist. I stared at my reflection, looking for what Rebecca saw in me. I made a mental note to ask her about it.
I threw on the pair of sweatpants and tee shirt I brought and then walked out to the kitchen. Rebecca sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Her hands wrapped around a mug with steam swirling from it.
“I decided to make hot chocolate instead,” she smiled and took another sip.
“I make it with milk. I used to love a cup of hot chocolate in the winter when I was a kid.”
I smiled. “Growing up in Nebraska allowed me to have many hot cocoas. Do you have marshmallows?” I asked.
“Mmm, maybe. Check that cabinet.” She pointed to a tall, pantry type closet. “Look toward the back of the second shelf.”
I pulled out a bag of mini whit
e cubes. I pierced a hole in the plastic with my thumb and grabbed a small handful of marshmallows before sprinkling a few into each of our cups.
I took a long draw on my cocoa
. “Soooooo good.”
Rebecca looked up at me through her lashes. “Better than sex?”
“No. Sex with you is phenomenal. Nothing comes close.”
She smiled. “Good answer.”
I finished my drink before she did. I leaned over from my stool and started to plant kisses along her neck.
“Your lips are so warm.” She angled her head to
give me better access. The warmth trickled down inside my body, to my between my legs. She had such a strong effect on me. I wasn’t able to think about anything other than her. I ran more feather kisses across the back of her shoulders, from one side to the other. She put the mug on the counter, turned, and placed her warm hands on my cheeks. She pressed her lips against mine. They were just as warm, and tasted sweet. I parted them with my tongue. The temperature rose inside me, but I don’t think it was from the chocolate. Moments away from picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom, the lobby buzzer rang.
Startled, we looked at each other. “Are you expecting anyone?” I asked
through heavy breaths.
“No. I never get visitors, except you.”
The buzzer rang again, impatient to be answered.
Rebecca walked to the intercom and shrugged. “Who is it?”
“Becky, it’s Mom. Let me in.”
“Should I hide?” I asked.
“No, what for?”
“I don’t know if you want your mother to know I’m here.”
“I couldn’t care less what she thinks. She has no say in my life any more. I’m not ashamed of you. You stay right there.” She pointed at me while she walked to her intercom.
Rebecca waited for the doorbell to ring before opening the door. “Hello, Mother. What are you doing here?” The obvious disdain cut the air.
“Becky, I just heard.”
“Heard what, Mother?”
“That you bought Margot Thompson’s company.”
“It’s Tremont, Mother. And how did you find out? Oh wait, I bet Donovan sent you here to extract information from me. Well, I’m not discussing it with you or anyone else. You can go back home and tell Donovan to pay whatever spies he has on his payroll a little more so they can get the full scoop.”
“Becky, I just want to make sure you aren’t in over your head. One business is a huge responsibility, and now you’ve bought a second, and all after that mess with Chester.” It was then that Mrs. Richards noticed me standing in the kitchen. “Oh, hello. Alex, isn’t it?”
I nodded her memory of my name.
“Mrs. Richards. So nice to see you again.”
The older woman turned her head toward her
daughter. “Working late, aren’t you? Should you have a man in your apartment so late into the evening?”
“It’s none of your business, Mother.”
“But Becky, a man in your apartment…”
I saw
the needle rise on Rebecca’s anger meter. “He can be here, Mom. I’m fucking him.”
I’m not sure who was more shocked at this announcement, Mrs. Richards or me.
Her mouth dropped open as she ingested both Rebecca’s words and her attitude. “Oh.” She offered me a nervous smile.
Tension filled the air, despite the expanse of the apartment.
Suddenly, I felt as if I was an intrusion. An outsider. Used for sex. “I’ll go in the other room to let the two of you finish talking,” I said, about to take a step toward the bedroom.
“No, don’t!” Rebecca commanded. “My mother is leaving. This conversation is over.” She walked to the front door and pulled it open. “I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time
coming all the way into the city, Mother. Please tell Donovan that I don’t fancy sharing any of my plans with him, or you. My life is better without either of you in it.”
“Becky…” Mrs. Richards pleaded.
Rebecca held up her palm. “Don’t, Mother. You made your choice a long time ago. It was difficult to accept, but I understand. Go back to that sleaze ball husband of yours and leave me alone.” Rebecca lifted her head and looked at the ceiling, not making eye contact with her mother, until Mrs. Richards walked over the threshold. She turned and opened her mouth to say something. Rebecca pushed an opened palm out toward the older woman. “Good-bye, Mother.” With that, she swung the door closed and twisted the lock.
Frozen in place, I was afraid to say anything or move. Rebecca leaned her b
ack against the door, exhaled, and slid to the floor. Tears streamed down her face. I rushed to her side, slid down next to her, and pulled her into my arms.
After twenty minutes, Rebecca wiped her eyes. “I have to make the announcement in the office tomorrow, before Donovan shouts it in the streets. The employees have to hear it from me first.”
I kissed her hair. It smelled like lilacs.
It stirred my insides, but now was not the time. I helped her up off the floor and she went into the bathroom to wash her face. I stood in the center of her apartment, wondering if I should follow her or stay where I was, baffled by all that had happened but mostly by the comment she had made to her mother about me. What did she mean by it? Was I only a lay to her? I thought we were more than that. It made me feel cheap and used. Rebecca came out of the bathroom, wearing a nightshirt. She was adorable. Her face was swollen from crying. It made me forget about my insecurity. I imagined her, with her puffy face, sipping hot chocolate as a kid. She strode over to me and pushed up against my chest. Reflexively, my arms wrapped around her. What was I supposed to do now? And then she told me.
“Come to bed,” she said. Her voice was low and meek. I opened my arms
to release her and she walked into the bedroom. I followed. She got in on one side of the bed. I stood at the foot. “Are you just going to stand there?”
Although I wanted to be more than just the guy she was ‘fucking,’ I decided to be
satisfied with whatever it was that I had with her. I knew I wouldn’t be happy without her now. Walking around to the other side of the bed, I got under the blanket. I laid back and stared at the ceiling, even after she turned out the light. Neither of us spoke. Again my mind weighed Rebecca’s comment. Was I a distraction while she completed her business dealings with Margot? A stress reliever? Would she involve herself with a new protégé once she formally expanded her company? Would she have time for me? Where would that leave me? Maybe with a great job, but emotionally shattered. I struggled with the answers to my questions. Nothing was definitive. Every time we were together, it resulted in sex. Maybe I really was just the guy she was fucking.
Her warm hand slid over
my chest. She twirled her fingers in my chest hair. I held my breath and tried not to move. Even her slightest touch caused me to want her. Maybe it was me who was using her – for sex, for advancement. No, that wasn’t true. I had developed feelings for her. Yes, it was the sex at first, but then it became so much more. I loved being with her, watching her work, learning something new about her ever day, making her smile, hearing her laugh, holding her hand, the hand that was skimming my chest. Down my sternum, continuing south. With each inch she moved, the muscles in my body tightened, particularly the one between my legs. My breathing was labored, fast. Passed my navel, to the top of my pubic line. She reached down under the elastic of my sweat pants. I knew what was coming. I wanted it, but I also needed to know if I was just someone she ‘fucked.’ The warmth of her palm radiated and I felt it in my groin before her hand even got there. She took hold of me. I sucked in a breath. It was like I had been plugged into an electric socket. My whole body came to life. She wrapped her hand around me and moved it up and down with long, gentle strokes. Every drop of blood raced to one area. The movement of her hand got faster. I had to open my mouth to breathe. I gasped to take air in, but let it out in a hard exhale, only to be able to gasp again. My blood pumped through my veins. Her touch was enthralling and my back arched to absorb what I was feeling. Rebecca sat up and kneeled to the side of me. She let go of my erection long enough to pull her nightshirt from her body. Before I knew it, she had pulled my sweats down my legs and threw them across the room. She tossed her leg over my torso and mounted me, slowly easing onto me. The pressure of her body covering me was absolutely wonderful. She was so wet. I just slid in as she took all of me.
And then she began to move,
rising and lifting gradually at first, but increasing speed with each progression. Each time she slipped over me, a wave of pleasure convulsed through my body. The neurons in my body were on fire. I was building. From the way her hips moved, I could tell she was too. There was so much emotion coming from her. I felt it in how her body moved.
She laced her hands in mine and used the opposing force to push off from
them, lifting and falling faster and faster. She tossed her head back and her hair fanned out before it hit her back. A loud moan filled the air as she squeezed my hands. It resonated between my legs. I bucked my hips up to meet her downward pound, thrusting into her. I felt her climax but she didn’t stop. She continued to rise and fall, heaving as she did. With one last push upward, I let go of her hands and grabbed her hips. I held her still as I released. My body relaxed on the bed and she fell forward onto my chest, her wild hair falling around us.
She rolled off me and back to her side of the bed. I pulled her into my arms. We were qui
et for a while, but the thought gnawed at me.
“Am I just sex to you?” I ruined the moment.
She sat up. “What?”
I sat up too. “That’s what
you said to your mother. You said that I’m the guy you’re fucking.”
Confusion was replaced by r
ealization. “I said it like that for the shock value. My mother isn’t a fan of vulgar language.” She paused. “No, you aren’t just sex to me. I care about you. You’re the first one I’ve let in in a very long time. I told you, I don’t trust anyone. Maybe just Rose, and Craig, but that’s it.” She looked down at her hands. Her hair fell in her face. I used a finger to hook a lock over her ear. “I’m scared, Alex.”
“Scared? Of what?”
She picked at the blanket. “I think I might love you.”
I used my index
finger to raise her chin up to look at me. “Well, that’s good, because I think I love you, too.” We both smiled.
“I guess we should have sex to consummate that thought,” she said.
“Not sex,” I said. Her head tilted, brows knitted. “I want to make love to you.” I put my hand up to her cheek and cradled her jaw. I moved closer to her and kissed her gently on the lips. Her mouth opened and I slid my tongue in to caress hers. Whatever tension remained in our bodies quickly melted. I moved closer and eased her backward until she was lying on the bed. Planting feather kisses down her jaw and neck, she closed her eyes and her breathing hitched. I stopped long enough to read the sincerity in her eyes. My body covered hers and I resumed kissing her as I positioned myself at the apex of her legs. As I gently eased into her, I whispered into her ear, “I love you, Rebecca.” I’m not sure if it was what I said or what she was feeling that sent a ripple through her body, but I felt it too. With long, controlled movements, I made love to my girlfriend.
“Ohhhhhh,” she exhaled
.
With careful and timed undulations
, my hips rocked in and out. She built and I could feel her quicken. It sent me on a rush to know how easily I could make her body react. So what if I was just sex to her? Being inside her felt heavenly. But she told me that she thought she loved me. Knowing that sent my libido into overdrive. I pushed into her and increased my rhythm, but just slightly. She whispered my name and lifted her hips to meet mine. It drove me over the edge. Still, I regulated the movement. She pulled at the blanket, drawing it in toward her body. My hips swiveled as I pulled back again. I couldn’t sustain it any longer. She called out my name as she let go of her orgasm. It was all I needed. One last push and I stilled and emptied into her.
We both collapsed and fell asleep.
The next morning I was sore. I think Rebecca was, too. She moved a bit slower while getting dressed. Her coffee was on an automatic timer and had brewed before we even woke up. I poured us each a cup and when she walked into the kitchen, she swathed her arms around me.
“I thought about it. I do love you
,” I said with confidence.
She
smiled. “Good, because I thought about it, too. I love you, too. And, I liked making love last night. Although, the fucking before that was fabulous also.”
I kissed her nose. “I guess I can be the guy who makes love to you and who fucks you.”
Her smile widened. “I like that. Two for the price of one, like a Harlequin romance and an erotic novel combined.”
Surprisingly, Rebecca agreed to take the train to work. Because of the large volume of other New Yorkers packed into the
cars, Rebecca had to stand very close to me. “I don’t know why I opposed the subway before. I like being this close to you.” We both laughed as the train rocked and bucked us through the tunnel. I bent my head down and kissed her. Nosy straphangers watched. I didn’t care. Rebecca loved me. Even though I was traveling at fifty-five miles per hour, thirty feet under New York City, I was floating high above Manhattan Island.
As we walked down the street toward the office building, I saw Katie talking on her cell phone. Feeling awful about how we parted ways the day before, I decided I would make an overture and wish her a good morning. Before I was able to, I heard part of her phone conversation.
“Yeah, glad it was helpful. I’ll see what I can find out today. I’ve got to go, they’re walking up the street.” She flipped her phone closed and shoved it into her purse. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. Her smile was wide. Fake. “Good morning, Alex.”
“M
orning, Katie.”
Katie looked at Rebecca. Her gaze dropped and the smile left her face. “Good morning, Ms. Stratford.”
Rebecca acknowledged her with her agent/owner attitude. “Katie, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Katie said without looking up.
I held the lobby door open as the ladies walked into the building. The elevator ride up to the eleventh floor was just as awkward.
“Have you found any potential authors?” I asked.
“There’s one. I’ve requested a partial from her. It’s promising though.” She glanced toward Rebecca and back to me.
Finally, we arrived at our floor. The elevator doors opened and Rebecca walked out first, showing her dominance. I held my arm in front of the doors so they wouldn’t close as Katie exited next. She waited until I was off the car.
“Do you think I could show you something later? I have the first couple of chapters from a writer which may be something, but I’m not sure about it.”
“Sure. I can stop by my old desk… I mean your desk in a little while.”
“Great. See you then.” She headed toward her desk.
When I walked into the office that Rebecca an
d I shared, Rebecca stood behind her desk. Her arms were folded across her chest. A scowl decorated her mouth. “What was that all about?”
“What?”
“Talking to her?”
“Katie?
You hired her to take my place when you bumped me up. She’s new so I told her she could come to me if she had any questions.”
Rebecca’s arms tightened.
She didn’t care who Katie was or what she did. Rebecca was only interested that I was talking to her.
“Seriously
? You’re not jealous of
her
?” I walked over to Rebecca and took her in my arms. She didn’t loosen her stance. Then I whispered, “You’re the only one I dream of; the object of all my affections. The only one I want to be with. The only one I want to make love with. The only one I want to fuck. And…” I kissed her. “The only one I love.” I kissed her forehead where it met her hair.
Her body relaxed. She
looked up and I kissed her.
Rose knocked on the open
door and waited for us to separate and bid her entrance. My cheeks got hot as I pushed away from Rebecca.
When Rebecca looked up, Rose tried to lose her smile quickly.
“Sorry to bother you. This package came for you.” She walked in and handed the package to Rebecca.
“By the way, Rose,”
Rebecca began. “You didn’t tell anyone about the buy out, did you?”
Rose
registered an expression of surprise. “No. You told me not to say anything. I haven’t even told my daughter, and she’s usually the first one I tell everything to. Why do you ask?”
“
Well Donovan found out about it and the ink on the contract I signed with Margot wasn’t even dry five hours.”
“Oh,” she said with worry. “No, it wasn’t me.”
“Okay, thanks Rose.”
Rose started to walk out of the office when she turned in the doorway. “
You know, I did see one of the junior editors talking to someone through the window of the backseat of a car yesterday when I was leaving to go home. The new girl with the red hair. Katie, I think her name is. I couldn’t see who was inside, but Katie looked nervous when she saw me. The window rolled up rather fast and the girl bolted toward the subway entrance.”
This piqued my curiosity. I knew everyone who worked o
n the other side of the floor.
Katie? Could she be
a spy for Donovan Richards? But why? What was he promising her in exchange for her betrayal? A respected position in his faltering company, no doubt.