Corporate Fire: Corporate Romance Book 1 (12 page)

14| Going Home

Grace leaned back on the couch in the lobby, worn out from the trip downstairs. Royce had gone out to drive her SUV up to the door. A gas fire flickered in front of her, and smooth jazz sounded through speakers somewhere above. She closed her eyes and considered how a long distance relationship might work out. It didn't seem like a relationship at all.

The couch shifted next to her, and she thought Royce had been super quick with the car. But Doug spoke instead. “Hey, Grace. I'm sorry about your leg.”

She opened her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. He sat next to her in jeans and an obnoxious green coat. “Thanks. Going home?”

“Yeah, do you need a ride?”

“No, I've got it covered.” It was the nicest conversation she'd had with him recently. Of course that didn't last.

“So why haven't you responded to any of the group emails? We're getting together tomorrow at Tony's and hoping you'll come.”

“I haven't checked my email since Thursday. I'm really not in any shape to meet at Tony's.”

“I'll pick you up.”

She tilted her head, perplexed. He'd seen her holding onto Royce for dear life, and yet he was still trying to get a date. She said, “No. I'm seeing someone now.”

He narrowed his eyes and leaned towards her aggressively. “It's that ax man, isn't it? Do you really think it's gonna last with a guy like that?”

Her face burned. “Yes, since he's stuck by me through this whole leg breaking business.”

“You're betraying all of the programmers by seeing him. I can't believe you would do this to us.”

“How is this a betrayal? The company laid us off. He’s just the messenger.”

Grace didn't see Royce come in until he sat on the arm of the couch and put his hand on the back of her neck. “Hello, Doug. You ready to go, Grace?”

Doug jumped up and said to Royce, “I can't believe your nerve. You're sick, you know that? You screw 'em and then you really screw 'em.”

Grace took one of her crutches in both hands and whacked Doug in the leg with it. “That's not what's going on here!” she yelled.

“Hey!” said Doug, jumping back.

Royce had stood and said, “You had your chance with Grace. Walk away—
now.
”

“Prick,” he told Royce. He gave Grace one last look and thought better of saying anything to her before he limped away.

She pulled herself up with Royce's help. His jaw was set, and he didn't say anything as they made their way out to her SUV. Grace had no idea what to say, but it seemed as if he was waiting for her to speak first. When they were on the road, she said, “Doug is a jerk. Please don't let him ruin the rest of our time together.”

“Is that why you haven't told Jill you’re with me?”

“Where did that come from? I defended you. I hit him in the leg with my crutch.”

“Are you worried Jill is going to have a similar reaction?”

Grace turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. “A little, maybe. But it was especially humiliating to be fired--”

“Laid off,” interrupted Royce.

“Whatever. She'd been trying to warn me all morning, and I was too busy fixing a problem for a company who was already done with me.”

“Yes, but it was the company who was done with you. Not me.”

“Why are we fighting about this?”

“I'm sorry.” He put his hand on her knee and said it again.

She turned away and looked out the window.

His hand left her knee, and he placed it at the back of her neck. “You must've whacked him good. He was limping away.”

She gave a small smile and turned to the front. “I thought it was a good hit. But see if I rise to your defense again.”

“Please do. It's a big turn on. I shouldn't have let what he said get to me or taken it out on you.”

She leaned over the console and put her head on his shoulder, turning on the stereo. It took a few miles of pop music, but Grace eventually relaxed, and the conversation flowed naturally.

The clouds hung low as if they were ready to sift snowflakes out over the world at any moment. The mountain road rolled and curved underneath the wheels of her SUV. She'd never admit it to Royce, but she loved how safe she felt with him driving and talking with her. They chatted a lot about how to market her app, which, she had to admit, he seemed to have really good ideas about.

His hand sometimes palmed her leg and made her melt inside. She wanted to reach over and stroke his cock, but aside from the position making her leg uncomfortable, it seemed too dangerous while on the road—dangerous and sexy all at the same time. She chided herself for her strange thoughts and behaviors over the weekend, but now the dam had burst, and she didn't want to go back to how she was before. Royce interrupted her thoughts saying, “What are you thinking about?”

His hand was high up on her thigh. Just a little bit further, and he'd be right at the V her legs made. “Nothing I could say out loud.”

“Please?” His eyes flicked to her long enough that she saw a sexy plea from within.

“This weekend is so not like me.”

“I think it's exactly like you. You've just repressed all these feelings for so long, you've convinced yourself they're not a part of you.”

“There's been nothing to repress. I've never had feelings or thoughts like this until I met you.”

He squeezed her thigh, and his pinky slipped into the V. “Is that all you were thinking?” His voice had that husky commanding tone that made her womanly muscles clench together.

She slid her fingers up his forearm to the crook of his elbow. To her amazement, she felt goosebumps flare on his skin. She'd never had that effect on a man before. Enjoying the thought that she made him feel good, she continued to caress him as she answered his question. It came out barely above a whisper. “I was thinking about giving you a hand job while you're driving.”

He pushed his hand further between her legs. “Feel my cock.”

Grace leaned away from her broken leg, being careful not to twist it as she turned. She reached out and placed her hand over his hard dick.

“Just you mentioning giving me a hand job made me that hard.”

Grace pressed into him and smiled when he moaned. He took the next turn too fast, making Grace wet between her legs and yet too fearful to continue. She took her hand away and sat back in her seat.

“You make me crazy, Grace, in all the right ways. What would you do if I found a place to pull off the road?”

Grace bit her lip and tightened her legs against his hand. Pictures flashed through her mind that reminded her of movies like Speed, except Royce was way better looking than Keanu Reeves. She'd never talked dirty before, but this was the brand new Grace. She took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sultry. “I'd unzip your fly and slide my hand below your boxers, pumping your shaft. When your moans became louder, I'd bend over and take you into my mouth.”

“How's your leg?” His voice was terse, confusing Grace. She must've sounded silly rather than sultry.

“Uh, it's okay. Better than earlier in the room.” She felt the car slow and thought they were going into another curve until she saw the picnic area sign.

“Do you think there's much picnic traffic today?” His eyes were on the road, and he spoke as if it were a common question.

Grace swallowed before she answered. Maybe she'd pulled off sexy after all. “Probably not when it's about to snow.”

“Good.”

The tires crunched over snow and ice that hadn't been cleared since the recent storm, telling Grace that they were probably the only people who'd stopped there that day. She couldn't even see stripes for the parking spaces.

Royce pulled up to the curb. He killed the engine, turned and reached across the console to caress Grace's cheek. She felt herself shaking, more from excitement than nerves but she forced herself to lean across and meet him halfway for a kiss. With the snow adorning the trees and the clouds so low, the picnic area felt like their own world.

His finger traced her ear and then trailed down her neck and over her sweater, stopping to tease her nipple. Now that they were stopped, she was free to explore his body too. He'd changed into a suit without a tie before leaving, and she slid her hand underneath his jacket, enjoying the taut muscles. Her hand trailed down and found his thick erection. She wanted to make love to him right now, even if it was tight quarters and her leg ached. She unfastened his pants as his hand slipped under her sweater and then her bra, pushing her back against the door.

“Lean your seat back,” he commanded.

She obeyed, and he pulled his body over the center console. It was a narrow fit for their bodies to lie next to each other, which turned Grace on even more. Steam already covered the windows from the heat of their desire. She reached inside his fly and found no underwear. Her fingers wrapped around his shaft, and she pumped gently.

He moaned and pressed his body against hers as he kissed her. One arm slid around the back of her neck and held her even closer. With his other hand he tugged her wrist until she released his shaft. He said, “I stopped the car to make you come. I want to concentrate on you.”

“But I was the one offering a blow job.”

“I know, and you sounded so sweet when you said it that I had to have you, but I think twisting your body over the console would make your leg hurt.” As he spoke he'd been inching her sweater up. He pulled it all the way off and removed her bra. Every kiss on her neck, every flick of his tongue over her nipples made her crave him deep inside her more. At one point she thought he might be late for his flight, but she really didn't care. She didn’t want him to work there anyway.

He undid her pants, and she said, “Make love to me. I don't want to wait.”

“Mmmmm,” he whispered against her ear. “Not today, but come for me, please. I love it when you do.”

He pushed his hand beneath her underwear—directly to her clitoris. It was like he had an eidetic memory for all her erogenous zones. After circling her clitoris with his fingertip and making her cry out, his finger continued down and pushed inside her folds. “You're so wet. Someday you have to let me lick you clean.”

Her legs clenched together at his words, but it was out of desire and not fear. She relaxed her muscles to allow his hand to roam freely again. His fingers moved in and out of her and over her clitoris, driving her to the verge of orgasm fast.

Royce pressed his cock into her thigh and his finger into her clitoris, making the pleasure inside of her climax. He kissed her deeply throughout the orgasm that shook her body. Before it ebbed, he pushed what felt like at least two fingers inside her and pressed his thumb against her clitoris. She wanted to scream in pleasure as she came again, but Royce still kissed her as if he'd never release her. His thumb let up the pressure but kept circling over her clitoris. She was so sensitive from the previous orgasms that she came again. She tore her mouth away from his and screamed out, “God, Royce.”

Her legs squeezed his hand between them as she rode through the pleasure. He said in her ear, “I love to feel you do that. I'm not going to fuck you here because I want the first time to be all night love making. I just had to feel your pleasure one more time before I left.”

She pulled his hand out of her pants so she would have easier access to him. Kissing him, she slipped her hand onto his manhood. He pressed his lips hard against hers as she wrapped her fingers around his cock. She pumped his shaft, and his arm clutched her tighter and tighter.

Inside the car had to be about ninety degrees. She ended the kiss and said, “Let me give you pleasure. You can lean your palms on the back seat, and I'll take you in my mouth.”

He groaned. “You make it hard for a man to say no.”

“You didn't wear underwear, so I think you planned for this all along.” She grinned as she spoke. “But I appreciate how you always make it seem like it's all about me.”

He lifted his hand to the back of her neck. “Because I always want you to feel good. I'm not one of those guys who insist on a blow job without ever returning the favor. I believe in ladies first.”

Grace wanted to laugh and kiss him and please him all at once. She pulled his hips towards her face as he used one hand to tug his pants down while pressing his other hand against the seat behind them.

Even with Grace's limited experience, she thought his cock was big. With a wistful thought towards lovemaking, she wrapped her hand around the shaft and took him as far into her mouth as she could. He pulled back but then gently pushed into her again. As he rocked in and out of her mouth, she caressed his balls with her fingers. She remembered a trick from an article she'd read that she hadn't tried yet and slipped a finger behind his balls and over the skin between his scrotum and anus. He exploded inside her, yelling, “Oh, Grace. Fuck you're good.”

Her hand tightened on his shaft as the sperm continued to erupt into her. When he finished, he slowly pulled out of her and sat back in the driver's seat. Grace swallowed and wished they could snuggle together. Her skin still felt alive with lust and what she was thinking of more and more as love. In fact, she feared speaking again for what she'd say.

Royce's hand found hers as his breathing calmed. The thought flitted through her mind that she wasn't worrying about brushing her teeth or making him wipe down his hands before he touched her steering wheel. This must be love.

“I don't want to leave you,” he said.

“Then quit your job. You tell all your clients it's a big adventure to look for a new one, so maybe you should give it a try.”

The silence that filled the car made Grace think she'd said the wrong thing, but he kept holding her hand. At last he said, “You're going to be hard to date because you call me on all my bullshit, except that I really believe my own bullshit.”