Off the Cuff

by K. I. Lynn

  She looked away, her concentration on the screen over the door as she pulled her hair down, watching the numbers until the cab slowed before coming to a stop at the first floor.

  As soon as the doors opened, she rushed out ahead of me.

  Oh my God, what did you just do? I asked myself as I sped away from him. I was in the middle of the lobby before I even remembered why we were in the elevator in the first place, then continued my path across the marble floors to the coffee shop on the far side of the lobby.

  I was trembling from the waning adrenaline and happy as hell to be out of that elevator, but that didn’t change what happened inside that space.

  My body was still heated—flaming hot—as we stood in line. The tingle of my lips reminded me that his had been pressed to mine, the lingering mint against my tongue, and the recurring whiff of his succulent spicy citrus scent that had rubbed off on me haunted me.

  He had touched me, and now my skin crawled to have his touch again.

  Desperate.

  Wanting.

  Needing.

  We got our coffee in silence, but I didn’t have the stomach for it anymore. What we’d done had my adrenaline pumping, and I was desiring something else entirely.

  We kissed.

  And I wanted it.

  I wanted more.

  We didn’t just kiss—we made out like hormone-driven teenagers.

  And it felt so unbelievably good.

  It pulled me from my panic, brought me out of my fear, and filled me with a passion I’d never felt before.

  The way back up was uneventful, but I noticed the tension in him.

  Through my panic, I had seen my own emotions mirrored in his eyes. He was always so confident and put together, but now I was struck by the evidence of his vulnerability. If it wasn’t for his rigid posture, part of me would have questioned if what happened wasn’t just some elaborate act. Even the most cynical parts of my mind couldn’t believe that.

  He had needed an anchor as much as I did. It was a truth I could feel.

  “About the elevator,” he began the moment we were back in his office, the door behind us closing.

  I shook my head and set my coffee down on his desk. “Please, don’t mention it.” Please, oh, please don’t bring up that embarrassment.

  Because I knew he wasn’t talking about my anxiety. He was talking about the other thing. The thing that still crawled around my skin.

  It was like I was another person, completely overtaken by the electricity that surged through me at his touch. The attraction I’d felt for him was pale to the way my nerves exploded under his hands.

  “Don’t mention how hard it made me, or how much I want you?” he asked.

  I froze, lips parted, and I couldn’t stop from looking to his waist, my eyes widening at the bulge down his right leg that strained against the fabric. Had he been in that state since then? Was I the only oblivious one?

  “I… Wow.” I bit down on my bottom lip as my thighs clenched. Heat pooled deep inside me and an ache began to spread.

  “By your reaction, I know I’m not the only one.”

  “It is very much not a good idea. Remember how much I hate you?” Though it wasn’t hate anymore. More likely that I hated what he did to me. I hated how much I wanted him.

  Especially knowing we could never be more. I didn’t want to just be his plaything.

  His lips twitched. “You don’t hate me. Besides, all of that was foreplay.”

  “Arguing is foreplay?”

  “With you, it is.”

  “You do know you are technically my boss right now, and so that’s just not a good idea,” I argued, hoping it would make him back down. Him cooling off was the only thing that was going to stop us, because I’d already pulled away once and I didn’t think I could do it a second time.

  “Right now, or ever?”

  “I really want to say ever, but I can’t do it.” He’d worn me down. After his lips had touched mine, I wanted nothing more than to be consumed by him.

  “Let me take you to dinner tonight.”

  I shook my head. First off, did I even want to entertain the idea of going out with him? Yes, I did. Things had changed between us.

  I even knew the answer to the follow up—I wanted to go out with him.

  But then second, there was Kinsey. There was no way I’d be able to find a babysitter on such short notice.

  “You can’t just ask a woman to dinner the same night.”

  “Why not?”

  “Preparation and stuff, and this high of making you wait. You are giving off this vibe like you want to pounce on me.”

  “Because I do.”

  I drew in a ragged breath. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been so overtaken with the fantasy of what it would be like to have a man between my thighs. It’d been so long since I’d had sex, including a good amount of time before my ex-boyfriend and I split.

  Suddenly, Thane rounded his desk and stalked toward me. I backed up, my eyes wide, but I didn’t get far when his hands gripped my hips and spun me around, picking me up with ease. He took a few steps, not stopping until my back was pressed against the wall.

  “Thane…”

  “Tell me you don’t want me.”

  “I…”

  “Can’t, can you?”

  “We shouldn’t.” I was shaking, giving away what I tried to deny. Being surrounded by him crumbled what little resistance I had.

  “Liar.”

  We were so close we were breathing each other in. The elevator had been a sort of foreplay, turning me on so that when his lips touched mine again, every cell in me exploded.

  I gave in. To his touch, to the fire, and to him. I was going to take Lizzie’s advice and fuck him. Maybe then the curiosity would die down and I could concentrate again on what mattered.

  His mouth on mine was a euphoric relief that opened my body to him, desperate for more.

  A whimper left me when he pulled back.

  His dark eyes met mine as his hand moved up the outside of my thigh before shifting to the inside and under my skirt. I drew in a breath, lips parted when his fingers brushed my mound. My nails dug into my palms as he worked his way under the fabric of my thong, pushing it to the side to find the flesh beneath.

  My head fell back when he slid between my pussy lips, running up and down my slit.

  A groan left him. “So slick.”

  I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t. He’d barely touched me, and it was better than I imagined.

  “Tease,” I hissed.

  His lips twitched, and without warning two fingers slipped inside me. We both let out a groan before his lips found mine. Little bolts of electricity zinged across my chest, the residual heat pooling between my thighs.

  My hips jutted forward, pushing his fingers deeper. Lips parted, I kept one hand pressed against the wall, while the other had a death grip on his sleeve as tiny moans slipped from me.

  “Everything you dreamed of, baby?” he whispered.

  I moved my gaze up until our eyes met. “Is that the best you can do?”

  His lips pulled up into a devilish smirk. “I told you…” He pressed his palm against my clit and my back arched, pushing our chests together as I grabbed onto his arms for support. “I like a challenge.”

  My mind was relieved of all thought as my head fell back against the wall, every nerve focused on the pleasure. No man had ever touched me with such confidence and strength, and it made me melt into him. Each slide in, each strum against my clit with his thumb had me falling endlessly into a mindless state of pleasure.

  Thane had an expert touch. He knew exactly where and how to drive me crazy.

  My eyes flew open and my grip on his sleeves tightened when his other hand moved from my waist. Our gazes locked and I was enthralled by the dark, lust-filled heaviness of his eyes. The anticipation grew as his hand inched up, and when the tips of his fingers brushed against my nipple piercings, I heard a low groan.

&nb
sp; The feeling was so intense that I struggled for breath. Only stunted little mewls escaped between my lips. He leaned down, his breath hot against my neck before he nipped at my skin.

  “Soon I’ll have my mouth on both of these,” he said. He squeezed my breast and my pussy, then increased the pressure and speed of his fingers. “But first, I want to taste your cum on my fingers before I fuck you into the wall.”

  I couldn’t stop my hips from rocking against him, chasing the orgasm that was building inside me. The tightness in my abdomen radiated out to all my muscles. A growl vibrated against my ear before he bit down on my neck as if he already knew my neck was my weak spot.

  A wave of pleasure rocked my body and a strangled cry ripped from my chest.

  “Fuck, that’s it, baby. Come.”

  The most intense feeling ever whited my mind as I shook in his arms. I barely noticed as I came down that he’d grabbed hold of my thighs and lifted me against the wall. Still dazed from my orgasm, I didn’t register the sounds of him freeing himself until I felt the hot head of his cock pressing against my sensitive clit.

  “Oh, fuck,” I whimpered, my legs flexing, pulling him closer until I felt the tip slip in, then his hips flexed, slamming himself all the way until his hips were firmly against me.

  My vision became blurry, head back against the wall as a long, low keening left me.

  “Fuck, yes. I’ve been dreaming about this for weeks,” he groaned against my ear.

  “What?” I asked, confused. I’d never felt so full.

  “Being inside you.”

  When he slid out and then slammed back in, I suddenly felt on the edge of another orgasm. I didn’t have time to think on it when he enacted on his promise of fucking me into the wall. Hard and fast, over and over, and I could do nothing but let out a litany of mewls.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I whimpered as I held on for dear life. My lips parted and a silent scream caught in my throat as I clung to him, my body shaking.

  An incomprehensible string of grunts and groans left him as his hips pinned me to the wall. They flexed, pushing me harder as I felt his cock twitch inside me.

  He was coming. Oh, my God, he was coming. Filling me.

  My head fell against his shoulder as strength abandoned me. A man making me come once was a miracle, but Thane proved just how much of a god he was by doing the impossible.

  Now all I wanted to do was take a nap.

  His breath was hot against my neck as he took in deep, labored breaths.

  “Don’t pull away,” he whispered against my skin.

  In my hazy state, I didn’t understand the meaning of his words, but I would.

  If I’d ever even questioned the attraction between me and Roe, that was completely blown out of the water when she came in my arms. Then when she came around me.

  All night long, it was on replay.

  And I had to be honest with myself—being with her was without a doubt the hottest sex of my life. It wasn’t that we were in my office and anyone could hear or walk in, and it wasn’t because we were mostly clothed. Weeks of pent-up sexual frustration had gotten an outlet, and I couldn’t get enough of her. Every whimper, every touch made me want and need more, driving me to madness.

  However, I did hate that she still ran out on me at four thirty. It was strange, but maybe she had a second job? Whatever it was, it was maddening.

  After that, the woman consumed my every thought. My questions were piling up, even if I was no closer to getting answers.

  I’d never wanted to take a woman out so badly before. To date, and yes, to fuck, but definitely to get to know her outside of work. She had me completely captivated, and I had a need for all of her—a feeling I hadn’t had in many years.

  With the time she’d worked for me, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to watch her make a mad dash to her desk nearly ten minutes late, looking flushed and gorgeous. Of course, the phone was already ringing. Her “Hello, Thane Carthwright’s Office” rushed out after nearly six full rings.

  I chuckled to myself, because obviously fucking the hottest woman I’d ever met against the wall of my office wasn’t going to change the work environment we’d established.

  I took the call, and once I was done, I forced my attention back to my email to keep from getting distracted by her. It was torture. Every movement she made, every sigh, had my skin crawling to be closer to her. Being near her was tormenting me. I just wanted to touch her again.

  A few minutes later, movement caught my eye and I looked to the door. It was hard not to groan as I watched her hips pop with each step. She was wearing pants, and I desperately missed the view of her legs that her skirts provided.

  “Your coffee,” Roe said, setting the cup down next to me. There was no little snip or snide remark. Instead, a smile brightened her stunning features. A slight pink on her cheeks enticed me.

  I smiled up at her as I picked up the cup. “Thank you.”

  She turned, a bounce in her step on the way back to her desk. I was so completely hypnotized that I was on my second sip before I spit the coffee back out into the cup. Bitter drain water was more the taste than coffee. I had no clue what the difference was between what Crystal got me and what Roe did, but I needed to text Crystal to find out.

  The idea of a cappuccino from the lobby coffee shop crossed my mind. Maybe I could have her get me an espresso from there and avoid offending her. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. That wouldn’t help my mission to get inside her again—something I was desperate for.

  Neither one of us made any sort of mention or allusion to what had happened, but each time our eyes connected, it simmered beneath the surface. She would turn me down again for a date without notice, but I’d discovered a loophole.

  The next morning when she came in to drop off my coffee, I stopped her before she left.

  “I need you to make a lunch reservation for two at noon.”

  “Two?” Her brow scrunched. I knew she was confused because the only meeting I had on my calendar was at three.

  “If I can’t take you to dinner, then I’m taking you to lunch.”

  She shook her head. “I can only take a half an hour.”

  Yes, that annoying secret to go with all the others.

  “And maybe someday you’ll tell me why, but that isn’t a concern today. It’s a work lunch with ulterior motives.”

  “Ulterior motives, huh? Does that mean I get to pick the restaurant?” she asked.

  “When you agree to go to dinner with me, but lunch is mine.”

  A few hours later, I was holding the door open to The Capital Grille, one of my favorite places for a business lunch. And probably where I would have taken her to dinner if she’d agreed.

  “I’ve never been here before,” she whispered as we approached the hostess stand.

  “You’ll like it,” I assured her.

  “Are there fifty-dollar salads here?” she asked, her lips drawing up into a smirk.

  “Probably.”

  Her eyes went wide and she slowly turned to look at me. “I ca—”

  “I’m buying you lunch, so don’t say another damn word about it. If you want the fifty-dollar salad, get it.”

  “Right this way,” the hostess said.

  I placed my hand on Roe’s back as low as I could, keeping her close to me. It was a possessive move, but I wanted all the fucking eyes that were watching to know she was taken. Even if she hadn’t agreed yet.

  “I haven’t been to a place like this in a long time,” she admitted as she looked over the menu.

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “Time, mostly. No reason to go to such a nice place being another, but I also have a hard time spending so much on a meal.”

  “I don’t.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m well aware of that. How much did today’s cuff links cost you?”

  I glanced down at the curved onyx and clenched my jaw. “No comment.”

  “Over a hundred?” />
  My lips thinned.

  “Two hundred?”

  Again, I remained silent.

  “Five hundred?”

  “They’re my vice, okay?”

  She smiled at me, her eyes skimming the menu again. “You said there was an ulterior motive. Are you going to tell me?”

  I leaned back, having already decided on the filet mignon. “Where did you go to college?”

  “NYU. You?”

  “Same. Siblings?”

  She paused. “Younger sister. You?”

  “Much younger brother. Wyatt is almost eleven years younger than me. He’s a senior at NYU right now.”

  “Following in his big brother’s footsteps?”

  I nodded. “Which is kind of strange, considering I moved out when he was seven.”

  “He must idolize you.”

  She hit the nail there. My little brother was a mini version of me. Definitely the Carthwright genes in play. “Where are you from?”

  “I’m a New York girl. You?”

  “North Carolina.”

  Her head tilted in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  She shrugged. “You seem to have the city life ingrained in you.”

  “After fourteen years, I would think so.”

  She shook her head. “Then again, you did say you drive everywhere.”

  The waitress came around for our orders, giving us a break.

  “Twenty questions was the big motive driving you?” she asked when we were alone again. I nodded, engrossed in the smile that filled her face. “And here I was thinking by ulterior motive, you meant sex.”

  It wasn’t meant to sound erotic, but somehow her offhand vocalization of such a small word had me shifting in my seat. Being close to her was an aphrodisiac in itself. The soft scent of roses and cherries tempted me, and it was taking a lot of self-restraint to keep from touching her. However, she was badly testing my weak hold.

  “That is always on the table. Whenever, wherever. I wanted to get to know you, and you me. Maybe then you’ll let me take you out on a real date instead of tricking you into lunch.”

  “I don’t know. You have that ‘I fuck a lot of women’ vibe.”

  “It depends on what your definition of a lot is. Do I date? Occasionally. Does it last long? Not usually past a second date.”