Authors: Elizabeth Hayley
“She does?”
“Uh, yeah. She’s doing it right now.”
Shane’s eyes quickly darted around the room to find Kate.
As his eyes locked on hers, she quickly averted her gaze. He didn’t say anything.
“I think she likes you.
You should go talk to her. It’d probably make her night.” The words tasted bitter leaving my mouth. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave me and go talk to her. But, I didn’t want to cock block him either. He had no shot with me, but he probably had a great one with her.
He shook his head.
“I don’t see her that way. We’re friends, but she’s more like a sister to me. And why are you sending me over to her? Trying to get rid of me?” Amusement played on his face, but there was something else in his eyes. Something darker. More carnal.
I shuddered involuntarily as I found myself getting lost in those eyes.
My body inched closer to him: a subconscious movement caused by the magnetic pull that existed between us. My eyes moved to his lips, pink and full and so utterly kissable.
“Hey, guys, how’s it going?”
The trance broke and I looked over to see Kate.
Shane cleared his throat.
“We’re good. Just shootin’ the shit. How about you? Having fun?” he asked, smiling broadly.
How the hell had he regained his composure so quickly?
Hadn’t he been lost in that moment with me? Maybe. Maybe not.
“Yeah, I’m having a great time.”
Kate shot me a brief look, but quickly looked away. She seemed to be trying to ignore me. Her eyes flitted over to me again, but they locked on Shane. “A few of us decided to head over to Tonic. They have a DJ. Are you in?”
“Uh, sure,” he said.
“Coming, Amanda?”
I watched Kate’s face fall slightly, but she recovered quickly and looked at me sweetly.
“No, I’m getting tired. I’m just gonna head home.”
There’s your birthday present, ya big baby.
“Oh,” Shane seemed momentarily at a loss for words, like he was caught between whether he should attempt to change my mind or just let it go.
Ultimately, he made the right choice. “Let me walk you to your car.”
“No," I replied harshly. "That's okay.
I’m right across the street,” I added to try and temper my initial response.
“Well, let’s all walk out together, and then I can make sure your ex doesn’t pop out of the bushes and kidnap you,” he
said, clearly only slightly kidding.
“If you must,” I muttered, shaking my head for Kate’s benefit.
I didn’t want to ruin her night and figured reverting to smartass Amanda was the best way to do that.
Shane paused and looked at me briefly, wondering where my shift in tone had come from.
I didn’t look back at him. Instead, I put my hand on Kate’s arm and thanked her for inviting me.
“Oh, no, thank you for coming,” she said, completely devoid of emotion.
She made no attempt to return my touch in any way.
I guess Kate has some claws.
Maybe she should piss on him to mark her territory.
It took a few minutes to gather everyone who was left, but eventually we were making our way toward the door.
I waved goodbye to no one in particular as I made my way across the street. Once I reached the sidewalk, I chanced a quick look over.
Kate was already leading everyone down the street toward their next destination.
Everyone except Shane. He stood stock still, watching me all the way to my car. As I opened the door, I started to give him a slight wave, but he had already started following the crowd, his head bowed slightly downward and his hands in his pockets. He never looked back in my direction.
I climbed in my car and started her up.
And as I pulled out of the parking lot, I wondered if this qualified as a good or bad night from hell.
***
Unfortunately, my dream of Master Bader being arrested for murder or bleeding to death from a severed appendage hadn’t come true after all. So when the Tuesday after Labor Day rolled around, he was back. And after being out for a day, he was more of a dick than usual. I guess he figured he was just making up for lost time when he handed me some accounts that an intern had fucked up. Now I had to do those in addition to my own responsibilities. It almost made me wish I had done more Friday so I wouldn’t have to work late. Almost.
I considered delegating some of the workload to Hot
Rod,
as I contemplated killing two birds with one stone. I could relieve myself of some responsibility and also get a picture of Rod running his hand through his already rumpled hair as he became baffled by the numbers. He wasn’t the brightest. But luckily for Rod, God had blessed him with an amazing body, so it balanced out.
But after some consideration, I decided that for once, I would actually have to just suck it up and do it myself.
Master Bader hadn’t told me which intern had screwed it up in the first place, so I couldn’t chance having it get messed up again. Better just to do it myself and make sure it was done correctly.
Shortly after lunch, I heard Bader’s voice from down the hall.
“Mandi!” he yelled. “Get in here. Are you done with Pallo Tech yet?”
“I’m coming, Mr. Bader,” I shouted back.
Wow, there’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever hear myself say.
Some of the other employees also must have had their minds in the gutter because they laughed and made obscene gestures as I passed by.
This included Hot Rod, who made a motion like he was jerking off, and as I shuffled past his desk, he “finished” by shutting his eyes, opening his mouth widely like he was screaming, and drawing in a sharp breath.
God, I’ve been waiting to see the Hot Rod “finished” for weeks. Where was my fucking phone when I needed it?
The sexiest expression picture wouldn’t have even been a competition.
***
By 6:30, I finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. A few more hours and I would hopefully be able to get out of here for the night. Minutes later my phone buzzed with a text from Kyle:
Hey, you wanna grab a bite . . . then afterward I’ll grab a bite of u?
I sighed with disappointment.
Unfortunately, his proposition couldn't have come at a worse possible time. If I took Kyle up on his offer, I’d never have the accounts ready for tomorrow morning. But God, was it tempting to just say to hell with this whole work thing. Fucking and food (in that order) sounded exceptionally alluring. Especially since my sexual frustration had hit a new high since Friday at the bar when Shane and I were rubbing against each other like we were trying to ignite a flame using only our bodies.
All weekend I’d avoided thoughts of Shane at all costs.
I hadn’t gone to CrossFit, and despite the fact that I was hornier than all hell, my vibrator stayed tucked away in my drawer. I knew if I resorted to that, I would only think of him. And I couldn’t let myself do that. But Kyle could provide the sexual gratification I craved.
After some deliberation, I decided that I needed to keep my priorities straight, and I was proud of myself for it.
I think.
Thanks for the invite. Tempting, believe me. But I’m stuck at work for a few more hours. Why don’t you get some food if you’re hungry, and I’ll see you when I get off from work.
He wrote back an
ok
almost immediately, but nothing after that.
***
By 7:20, I was the only one left in the office. Even Hot Rod had left, but not before I had snapped a picture of his ass through my glass wall as he added paper to the copier. He’d been working later recently, probably hoping to make a good impression and get hired after his internship. Tonight, that had worked to
my
benefit as well.
I like your dedication, Rod
.
My fantasy about
Rod was short-lived as I heard a voice say, “Hi.” I looked over to my door, startled, and saw Kyle walking toward me with a pizza from the place down the street that made the tomato pies he knew I loved.
“What are you doing here?” I thought I’d been clear in my text that I’d need to finish working, and his text of “ok” seemed to indicate that he understood.
Though I can’t say I was entirely disappointed to see him standing above me in a tight white T-shirt that barely skimmed the waist of his faded ripped jeans. “I said I still needed to get some work done," I added, in an effort to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince him.
He smirked, letting his sparkling hazel eyes
run down my chest and torso. Then he put the pizza down on the glass coffee table in front of the deep brown leather couch and pulled out his phone. He pointed to part of the last sentence I had written: “I’ll see you when I get off from work,” he said with a seductive hum to his voice.
I looked at him quizzically before the double meaning of what I had written sunk in.
Shit.
“I’m here to do just that,” he added playfully.
I studied his expression hoping to get an indication of what he actually meant, but it revealed nothing.
“What did you have in mind?” I was suddenly beginning to forget about my responsibilities at the office.
“Eat first,” he directed, lifting a slice of pizza and touching it to my lips.
“Take a bite.” Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry. I wanted nothing more than to push Kyle onto the couch, strip him naked, and ride him like a drunk college girl on a mechanical bull: fast and hard, and with no reservations.
But sensing his insistence, I obeyed, taking a few small bites and chewing slowly while keeping my eyes locked on his.
After a few minutes, he must have felt that I’d eaten enough because he put the pizza back into the box.
“Aren’t
you
hungry?” I asked.
“Not for
that
.”
Holy shit!
How could such an innocuous phrase turn me on so much more than I already was? I felt my insides clench at the prospect of what Kyle might have in mind. My abdomen tightened and my pulse increased as his eyes bore into mine for a few more moments. Then I watched as he surveyed my lips and neck until his focus dropped lower, and I thought I could actually feel his eyes caress my breasts on their journey down to my legs.
I shifted in my seat and enjoyed the fleeting feeling of the most sensitive part of me moving gently against the chair.
A soft moan escaped my lips, signaling that I was ready to take whatever he was going to offer me.
Then Kyle positioned himself behind me.
He hadn’t touched me yet, and I craved him more because of it. I yearned for the gentle graze of his fingertips upon my tingling skin and the rough grasp of his large hand as he squeezed my heavy breast with just the right amount of force.
But he didn’t give me either one.
Instead, he leaned down into my ear, touching me only with his warm breath. “Get back to work,” he commanded.
I shut my eyes and inhaled sharply at the sound of his voice and the feeling of the vibration on my ear.
I leaned to the side, inviting him to lick my flesh, and sprinkle soft kisses up and down my neck.
He traced my jawline with the edge of his nose, exhaling softly as he moved up and down my neck.
“I’m serious about working, you know?” he prompted in between bites of my earlobe. “This won’t happen until you get done what you need to do. The longer you procrastinate, the longer this sexual torture will last.” As he said the last sentence, he ran his fingers up my thigh and under my skirt, toying with the elastic edge of my thong. My hips flexed upward involuntarily in response. “And what I have planned for you
will
be sexual torture, Amanda. You can count on
that
.” He paused for a moment, allowing me a few seconds to process his intention before speaking again. “If you continue to work, I’ll continue to pleasure you. Though know that it won’t be to the point of release until you're done with whatever work you need to finish for the night. If you stop working before you’re done, I’ll stop. In other words, keep your focus, and I’ll keep mine.”
I spun in my chair just enough to see Kyle’s seductive expression, and I shot my own back at him.
Only mine was somewhere in between complete arousal and utter frustration. I had a nagging feeling that what I felt now would be nothing compared to what Kyle had in store for me. This could be fun. Or it could be absolutely unbearable. Though something told me it would probably be both. Without saying a word, I turned back to my computer.
Let the games begin.
Just the thought of Kyle touching me while I worked made it even more difficult to focus.
As I put my hand on the mouse to click into one of the cells of the spreadsheet I had on my screen, Kyle unbuttoned my silk blouse and reached around to cup both of my breasts in his hands through my sheer black bra. He squeezed down my full curves and tugged my nipples between his thumb and index fingers. The pain increased with each pull, causing even more wetness to pool between my thighs.
I focused on importing the numbers that I had in front of me.
My gratification would be delayed already, and I didn’t know how much of this I could handle. There was no way I would draw this out any longer than I needed to.