Authors: Jodi Redford
How could she be so dumb? Jeez Louise, admitting all that stuff to Leo about having a dirty mouth. Why not start waxing poetic about tampon usage and douching while she was at it? Fucking A.
Groaning, she dropped her face into her hands. He was her boss, not one of her girlfriends. There were some things you just shouldn’t speak of. At the rate she was going, it’d be a wonder that they’d keep her around, much less offer her a raise. Of course, knowing how easygoing Leo and Devlin were, they’d probably refrain from firing her and would instead stick her in the spare cubby hole of an office in the back so she wouldn’t be a threat to any innocent clients walking through the front doors. Not that she’d blame them. Knowing her, she’d probably invite the CEO of Scentual into a swearing contest followed by an energetic round of armpit farting.
Scraping her fingers through her hair, she straightened and blew out a breath. Well, she couldn’t take back what she’s said. Though Lord knows a time machine would come in handy right about now. She’d log a crapton of hours on that sucker today. Wrinkling her nose, she scooted her chair closer to her desk. That’s when she noticed the indecent amount of leg she was showing. The upper band of her stocking was visible, along with the garter.
Holy crap. Shooting a glance toward the hallway, she discreetly tugged at the hem of her skirt. Leo must think she was a real piece of work. No wonder he’d hoofed it away from her so fast.
Refusing to dwell on her countless fuckups, she determinedly pushed all anxiety-producing thoughts to the rear of her mind and focused on transcribing the rest of the notes Devlin had given her that morning. The day crawled by at a slug’s pace but at least she committed no further graceless blunders. She even managed to get the reports filed for the last batch of test trials they ran yesterday for one of their new clients, and that was even with Joe trying to flirt with her the entire time. Cute as the part-time tech was, she felt zero chemistry with him. It was the freakin’ story of her life. The only men who made her tingle in all the good place were—
Nope. Not going there. A grumble rumbled through her belly and she grimaced. Enough with this BS. Steeling her spine, she snatched her cellphone from her purse and texted a quick group message to Jane and Marissa.
Meet me in twenty at the Blue Goose. First round on me.
She’d need a little liquid encouragement to kick this obsession with her bosses to the curb once and for all.
A quarter to five, Devlin ventured into the reception area and poured some water from the cooler into his coffee mug. She tried her damnedest to ignore the intriguing way his broad shoulder muscles shifted underneath his shirt. Okay, she failed at the mission. Big time. He turned toward her, and she whipped her gaze back to her monitor just in the nick of time.
“How’s it going, Sid?”
Pretending to be deeply absorbed in her task, she manufactured a phony look of distraction. “Hmm? Oh, great. Putting the final touches on these reports. Should be done in a sec.” She’d sent them off to Ruskers Pharmaceuticals nearly half an hour ago, but he didn’t need to know that.
“You’re doing a fantastic job. Leo and I really appreciate everything you do for us. Just want you to know that.”
She attempted to detect any words that she should possibly read between the lines, and immediately chastised herself for being so paranoid. “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”
“Well, it’s true. And we’re going to take good care of you.”
“Err, what?”
Devlin parked his gorgeous ass on the edge of her workstation. “Your performance review is coming up. I know it’s kind of letting the cat out the bag, but we’ve already decided to up your salary enough to guarantee you never leave us.” He flashed her a dazzling smile.
It took a moment for the stars to stop spinning in her head. Good grief. The man was absolutely detrimental to her health. Not to mention her concentration. It took several seconds for his statement to penetrate her brain fog. “Oh, that’s awesome.” And it was. Almost as awesome as if he’d meant they’d be taking care of her in ways that’d end in an orgasm. But a raise was certainly better than a sharp stick in the eyeball. “Do you have any idea how much it will be?”
“Well, seeing how I’m half of the party giving it, I
might
have an inkling,” he teased.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Gotta leave something for the actual review. Otherwise it’s going to get boring for you just sitting there staring at us.”
Heh. Little did he know she already had a Masters in staring at them. Half an hour in their office would be a breeze.
Devlin propped his heel on the toe of his loafers and took a swig of water from his mug. Even the way his throat muscles worked was ridiculously sexy. Yeah, she definitely needed to get laid if watching a man drink ended up soaking her panties through.
He blotted his mouth with his shirt cuff. “Any big plans for the evening?”
Other than fucking you and Leo out of my system with the first guy I find tonight?
“No, not really. Meeting up with some friends later. That’s about it.”
He looked at her for a long moment, leaving her with the certainty that he wanted to say something. Instead he cracked another smile and pushed away from her desk. “Enjoy your night then.”
She watched him stride in the direction of his office, disappointment wedged against her sternum. Getting on with her life and putting a stop to these useless fantasies was absolutely the smartest thing she could do. It wouldn’t be easy. But she had no choice.
Resigning herself to that bit of sage advice, she snagged her purse and trudged to the elevator.
The Blue Goose was jammed to the gills. Not surprising. The place always became a meat locker by the time Thursday rolled around. At least the band wasn’t playing tonight. Conversation would be impossible. She wiggled her way through the crowd, adroitly avoiding the gropes and pinches bee-lining for her butt. Wiping her brow, she slid in to the booth where Jane and Marissa were parked. “Sorry I’m late.”
Jane scooped a pretzel from the bowl in the middle of the table. “You should be. You missed the Rhinestone Cowboy.”
“Aw, damn it.” The dude was a regular at the bars and nightclubs along Commerce Avenue. He practically qualified as a landmark. Jane—being Jane—had boogied with him on the dance floor a time or two. Sidney always declined out of fear of being permanently blinded by all that bling under the strobe lights. Sighing, she snatched a pretzel and munched on it dejectedly.
Marissa rubbed Sidney’s shoulder soothingly. “I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“Who?”
“Rhinestone Cowboy.”
Sidney flicked her wrist at Marissa. “That’s not why I’m bummed.” Her admission immediately gained her friends’ undivided attention and concern.
“What happened?” Jane demanded.
Their obviously harried waitress appeared to take their drink orders. The moment the girl trotted off, Sidney filled Jane and Marissa in on her endless string of boneheaded blunders since arriving at work that morning.
“They
are
giving you a raise,” Marissa reassured her. “With that being the case, the situation can’t be as bad as you think it is.”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t change the fact that I still feel like an idiot.”
“Y’all are overlooking the most important detail here,” Jane chimed in.
“And what pray tell is that?” Sidney snuck another pretzel. At least it wasn’t stick shaped. She didn’t need the kind of trouble that would bring.
“Hot Leo apparently squeezes one off in his office now and then.”
Choking on her bite of pretzel, Sidney gaped at her friend. Oh Lord. Like she needed that kind of erotic material hanging in her overstocked closet of dirty fantasies. “He was only joking.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say. But ten to one he does. I mean, he is around that liquid Spanish Fly juice twelve fucking hours a day. Talk about some serious contact buzz. He’d constantly walk around with Mount St. Boner in his pants if he wasn’t beating the meat. In fact, I bet Devlin does it too. Shit, wouldn’t be surprised if they do it together.”
“Seeing how the elixir is specifically formulated for women, I highly doubt it has that kind of an effect on him. Regardless, I’d really appreciate it if we could can it with any further references to my bosses indulging in a daily circle jerk. So not helping here.” She shivered and tried to kill the provocative image of Leo and Devlin sprawled in their chairs, heads thrown back and faces strained in pleasure, fists furiously pumping away at their engorged cocks. Smothering a whimper, she squirmed on the leather banquet seat. Where was that damn drink when she needed it? Swiveling her head, she peered desperately for their server.
A heated exchange passed between Marissa and Jane in which Marissa scolded their friend for contributing to Sidney’s potential tumble from the fantasy-free wagon. Like
that
ship hadn’t already left the harbor. She’d been limping along the freakin’ shoreline for the last ten minutes, no sign of a rescue boat anywhere in sight.
The waitress appeared with their drinks and Sidney gulped several fortifying swallows of her Long Island before digging in her purse for her credit card. She frowned when her fingers scraped the bottom of her bag without encountering either her wallet
or
her cellphone. “Uh, guys. I might have a problem here.”
Jane and Marissa stopped their bickering to gaze at her expectantly. Desperately attempting to hold her worry at bay, Sidney gave the scoop on her missing wallet. The next several minutes were a wasted and comical attempt at hide and seek as the three of them inspected every nook and cranny of their booth. Sidney even went so far as to crawl on her hands and knees underneath the table to look there. Always an exceedingly undignified position for a woman in a tight short skirt. No sign of her wallet, but she found a nickel and a condom packet—unused, thank God. She left both objects right where they were. Full scale panic sinking its teeth in, she wiggled out from under the booth and grabbed her purse.
“Where are you going?” Jane demanded.
“Back to the office.” Fingers crossed that’s where her wallet and cellphone were. Maybe when she’d texted the girls earlier she’d forgotten to put everything back in her purse. She’d certainly been distracted enough by Devlin’s presence at her desk to not pay close attention to what she’d been doing. Just further proof that she needed to nip her attraction to him and Leo in the bud before she became any further danger to herself.
“I presume you don’t have your driver’s license,” Jane pointed out.
A quick rifle through the interior pocket of her purse produced the item in question. “I forgot to return it to my wallet after I went to renew my tabs on Monday.” The only bright spot in this entire situation. Who knew she’d ever be grateful for a visit to the DMV?
Not waiting around to listen to the inevitable diatribe on her constant brain farts lately, she rushed for the exit.
The trip to Carleton Towers was a study in useless anxiety. Cursing at every red signal probably wasn’t necessary or productive, but it felt good. She careened into a vacant spot near the entrance. Second bonus of the night—hardly anyone stuck around work past seven p.m., so the premium parking spaces were a free-for-all. Halfway to the doors she recalled her missing badge. Tossing out a few new swear words, she returned to her car and whipped the lanyard around her neck before hightailing it back to the building and swiping her card at the entry.
Less than a minute later the elevator deposited her on the eighteenth floor and she dashed in the direction of her office. The moment she stepped into the reception area she instantly spied her wallet and cellphone sitting in silent mockery next to her wireless mouse. Her groan a mix of relief and weariness, she crossed to her desk and slumped in her chair. Now that she’d broken every land speed and traffic law to get here, she had no desire to move for at least five minutes.
The sudden cramp in her calf muscles a firm reminder that running in six inch Louis Vuitton knockoffs was butt-ass dumb, she winced and kicked off her heels. Massaging her leg, she glanced around the dimly lit space. It was odd being alone in the office. Hell, she was probably the only one on the entire floor. She could kind of see the appeal of working an afterhours shift. No one around to bug you, and there was a certain peace in the quiet solitude. And biggest advantage of all—she didn’t have the overwhelming appeal of her hunky bosses to contend with. Then again, Leo and Devlin were notorious late night workers themselves, so she probably wouldn’t get much relief there.
The moment the use of
relief
bloomed in her head, the word naturally rooted into a more sexual connotation. Jane’s earlier insistence on Leo and Devlin masturbating in their offices took center stage. A tingle coursed through Sidney’s clit, and she crossed her legs in a futile attempt to lessen the torment. It didn’t matter that she was utterly unconvinced of Jane’s cockamamie theory. Her depraved mind was all too eager to latch on to it with gleeful eagerness.
Well aware that she was dangerously close to sinking neck-deep into the quicksand, she abandoned her seat and walked down the hall. She hesitated in Devlin’s doorway for a second before entering the room, a forbidden thrill flushing her skin. It probably made her the lamest naughty girl in history, but it did feel incredibly bold and daring to be in his office without a valid excuse for being there. Maybe she’d really spice things up by fondling his stylus. Biting back a giggle, she circled the room, deliberately touching everything. At least she didn’t do anything lewd like rub her boobs on his desk top. She did have
some
restraint.