by Lynn, K. I.
“Or right now?”
“You’re early,” she said, deflecting again, though I was certain it was to steer the conversation away from sex.
“You were at forty-two hours for the week before you even came in today.”
“Did you check my time?” she asked with a quirk of her brow.
“Of course,” I said as I stuffed my relieved dick back in my pants, then fixed my clothes.
She rolled her eyes and stepped forward, her hands resting on my sides. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I said as I looped my arms around her, holding her close. The warmth of her body and the floral scent of her skin calmed me.
“What are you doing here so early?”
“I came to break you out of here,” I said as I brushed her hair behind her ears in order to tame the mess I’d made.
She shook her head. “I’m not done.”
“And to talk to you about a project.”
She tilted her head. “A project?”
“Yes.”
Voices filtered from the other side of the door, and she pulled away.
“Let’s talk somewhere else,” I said as I pulled the door open to find Marjorie standing just outside.
Fuck.
“Richard, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were coming today,” Marjorie said, her eyes wide. The panic of my sudden appearance was obvious, especially in the way she looked around the cubes. Probably silently praying everyone was complying with company policy—shit that I didn’t really care about, though I knew someone in the company did. If they were doing their jobs, that was all that mattered to me.
“Are you my secretary?” I asked, pulling any warmth from my tone. Marjorie was a nosy busybody and I couldn’t stand that behavior.
“N-no. I’m just surprised, is all,” she said with a stutter.
“I have business with Miss Cates that doesn’t concern you, and I will be in need of your office.” God, I was such an ass sometimes.
“Of course,” she said with a strained smile. “Just let me get my laptop and it’s all yours.”
I placed my hand on Natasha’s lower back and ushered her down the hall. In reality, I gave no fucks if people knew we were together. I was the fucking VP, and didn’t answer to any of them.
We waited for Marjorie to grab whatever she needed, and I tried to not even look at her so that I didn’t engage her nagging need for verification.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she said just as I shut the door in her face.
My jaw clenched, and I blew out a breath before taking a seat in her chair.
“Why her office?” Natasha asked as she took one of the open chairs opposite me. “Nina’s office is available.”
Logically, that would have been the correct move, but something about Marjorie brought on my desire to be vindictive.
“Because Marjorie is an insufferable, brown-nosing, ass-kissing, tattle-telling twatwaffle.”
Natasha’s brow rose. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“Irritated,” I growled.
“You didn’t need her office, did you?”
“Nope.” I clenched my teeth as I looked over her desk. Every little thing was in perfect order and in perfect compliance. “But I did need to remind her I’m her boss.”
“Well, I hope when you’re reminding me you’re my boss, it’s not by taking over my office…or cubicle as it were.”
My lips twitched as I finally began to relax. “Your body, then?”
She leaned forward. “You can show me how you’re the boss tonight.”
My tongue snuck out to wet my lips. “I’d love to. I also need to do it here.”
“I just sucked you off,” she reminded me.
A chuckle left me. “Not that.”
She leaned back into the chair and crossed her legs. “What can I do for you, Mr. Bennett?”
Fuck, my name from her lips. Maybe showing her I was the boss all over Marjorie’s desk wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Mmm, I like the way you say my name.”
“Pervert.”
“Perhaps.” I rubbed my jaw and settled myself into the conversation I brought her in here for, and not for the sex-filled thoughts I was having. Instead, I needed to initiate the scheme that came to me on the drive. “You are Nina’s interim, and that means you have the joy of budget planning.”
The blood drained from her face. “Excuse me?”
Not the reaction I was expecting. “You and I are going to analyze the profits and losses from the first half of the fiscal year.”
“The two of us?”
I nodded. “I have to report financial information, including the financial welfare of the business to help with decisions that will be made based on the information.”
Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “Richard, I’m barely keeping my head above water here. Six weeks ago I was a staff accountant. For three weeks I was a corporate supervisor in training, then three weeks as that and interim manager. And for the last two weeks I’ve tried not to be run over by the steam-roller that is the VP of Finance, which is you.”
I gave her an apologetic smile. “There are some big business moves on the horizon, but only if we can show that it is fiscally possible.”
While it wasn’t necessarily needed, and I’d never called upon Nina for her help before, it was a way I could be close to Natasha more. Yes, it could help her having her name attached to the analysis, but it was my own selfishness to be closer to her that was driving my idea.
My heart jumped as I read her face. She’s going to turn me down.
“I can tell you’re about to turn me down, and I’m not above begging at this point,” I said, stopping her because I wanted it for us, an opportunity to work together. “This budget planning will decide the next steps Annex takes. Getting all the information and analyzing everything together is a two-person job.”
She pursed her lips. “Normally I would jump at the opportunity, but I’m absolutely exhausted. There’s just too much on me right now, along with growing a human being that drains me more every day, and it sounds like someone directly below you is the person for the job, not me.”
Every single point she made was valid, but I needed her.
“It falls on Nina’s position due to her proximity to all the account details. You know all the shortcomings, which side businesses are profiting and which aren’t, without even digging for an answer because your department balances the books on a daily basis. Having someone in my department do it just creates severe aggravation and one time caused the demotion of an employee.”
“So, this isn’t something you’re doing just to see me?” she asked, seeming to buy into my flimsy logic while also confirming she saw right through me.
I nodded. “The added bonus is working with you. Bottom line is I report financial information that makes business decisions, and you are intimate with the financials of the business.”
“That’s a lot of departments.”
“How much money does streaming membership bring in monthly?” I asked to test her out.
“Just under a billion dollars. In the last year it’s been as low as seven hundred million and as high as one billion.”
“And what is the running cost?”
“With the new programming, we’re about six hundred and fifty million. It can fluctuate depending on what is in the works.”
Right on target. While my reasoning was selfish, I truly believed she would be an asset.
“Those are numbers I know because I have to keep up on the financial well-being of the company, but your position is possibly the only other that keeps an up-to-date tally of the profit and loss of the company.” My logic was thin, and while I had called on Nina in the past when evaluating the company’s finances, it wasn’t something she worked on directly with me.
“What are they looking to buy that demands this kind of future broadcast and past financial numbers?” she asked.
All of her questions showed
me why she’d been promoted. They also indicated her ability to level up in the company with ease.
“There are multiple answers to that, from studio spaces to in-house sound companies to upgrades to the platform and marketing strategies. It all costs money.”
“What’s in it for me?” she asked.
Fuck. “Recognition for a job well done. Maybe a bonus, but don’t hold me to that.” I’d have to talk to Michael about that. In all the years, I’d never called down for help past my own assistants, who drove me mad. They weren’t trained or equipped for the task.
After a few torturous moments of deliberation, she stood and held out her hand.
I looked to her, almost in awe that my plan worked, before slipping my hand in hers.
“It’ll be a pleasure working with you, Mr. Bennett.”
“Excellent. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”
We spent the next hour going over some of the logistics, with her taking notes on all the information I needed her to gather. Schedules were consulted, and we found it best to have weekly face-to-face meetings on Fridays and possibly more depending on how things came together.
When we emerged from Marjorie’s office, she popped up like a gopher from one of the nearby empty cubicles, igniting my irritation again, but I did my best to stuff it down.
“Thank you, Marjorie,” I said with a nod.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Richard?”
I quirked a brow at her. “With?”
“Well, Natasha is overwhelmed right now. I’d be happy to assist you in any way I can.”
The vein in my forehead pulsed. What was it about the woman I found so insufferable I wasn’t sure, but she irritated me to no end. “How do you know Natasha’s current workload?”
“She’s always complaining about how much she has to do. I mean, just look at the disorder of her department. There are violations everywhere and there are an above-average number of open statements,” Marjorie said, a smug look of superiority lighting up her face.
Even Natasha, who I had yet to see get upset, was almost vibrating beside me.
“Marjorie, do I need to remind you that you are not my boss? That you have no idea what I do and hold no sway over my section?” Natasha said, barely holding in her annoyance. “My people are working hard and if they want two damn cups of coffee at their desk, they can have them.”
I couldn’t stop my lips from drawing up as Natasha put Marjorie in her place. Marjorie was not her boss, and it confused me why she would think making Natasha look bad would be favorable for her.
“Sounds like an irrelevant issue, Marjorie,” I said in agreement. “It’s obvious they are working hard, so this is a petty complaint on your part.”
Marjorie’s mouth turned down and she let out a little huff before wishing me a good day, ignoring Natasha completely.
“What’s going on?” Jenna asked, appearing from the sea of cubicles as she watched Marjorie stomp off.
“Your boss is…frustrating,” Natasha said through gritted teeth.
My brow rose, and I internally applauded her composure. It was a better answer than I would have released. “How restrained.”
“Imagine working for the…frustrating,” Jenna said, also holding back on all the bad things she probably wanted to fling from her mouth.
While I didn’t believe Marjorie was a bad person or bad at her job, her personality was so grating and annoying. Over the phone it wasn’t so strong, but in person it was instant. Her need to be seen and acknowledged, putting people down in order to shine, was not the kind of behavior I could stand.
Natasha slipped her hand in mine, and the tension melted away. I turned to her and she gave a shy look as she glanced around for anyone watching.
I would suffer Marjorie every week just to spend a few extra hours with Natasha.
It quickly became apparent one Wednesday evening that Richard was not well versed in the world of texting with emojis. In fact, his texting was stiff and lacked a flow.
What started off as innocent had me rolling on the floor in laughter, slamming my hand on my kitchen table as I tried not to pee myself from laughing so hard.
I miss the sweetness of your lips—Richard
That was the first message that popped up onto my phone as I cooked dinner. It was sweet and made my chest clench.
I miss your warmth—Natasha, I typed back.
I miss your warmth, too. Especially the warmth between your thighs—Richard
I quirked a brow at the screen. Someone was feeling frisky.
Perv—Natasha
What can I say, my every thought is of you, including the very dirty ones—Richard
Well, now all I can think of is your in my —Natasha
I bit my lip as I stared down at the screen, waiting for his response, but when it came I stared down at it in disbelief.
I have no idea what that means. Is that an eggplant?—Richard
Oh, my.
Lol. It’s a euphemism—Natasha
For what?—Richard
Wow, he really was clueless about emoji-speak. I didn’t want to spell it out because I was having too much fun with him not understanding I was talking about his dick, so I kept going.
For this week that needs to hurry up because I want you. In me. Eggplant to taco—Natasha
I can’t decide if I’m turned on or if you want me to smash a taco with an eggplant—Richard
Oh, baby, yes, my wants to be smashed by your —Natasha
I get there are different kinks, but I never pegged you for a food fetish kind of girl—Richard
I’m dying!—Natasha
—Natasha
The phone rang, but when I answered it all I could get out was laughter. I couldn’t even form words.
“What is so funny?”
That just made the laughing worse.
“An eggplant—” my stomach clenched from my deep chuckles “—means dick.”
“Shit,” he cursed before joining in. “I get it now. My dick wants to be in your pussy too, but why the fuck does an eggplant mean dick?”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I have no idea, it’s just become the universal symbol.”
“Hmm. Wouldn’t a hot dog or a banana be better?” he asked.
“Probably, but at some point someone decided eggplant was it.”
My phone buzzed and I looked down to find a new text message.
—Richard
I bit down on my lower lip. He’d even found the squirting emoji.
“Mr. Bennett, oh my,” I said in mock incredulity.
A groan left him. “Fuck, I wish you were here.”
“What would I be doing?” I asked.
“Draining my eggplant with your tight little taco,” he growled.
Oh, I liked that. “Would I be straddling you in your chair or would you swipe everything off your desk and lay me back?”
“Bend you the fuck over, smack your ass, and drill my cock into you. Pull your hair and make you fucking scream for more.”
Fuck, he made me wish I could teleport to him so he could do just that.
I could hear something faint in the background, but couldn’t quite make it out. “Do you have your eggplant out right now?”
“Yes,” he hissed.
Fuck. He was masturbating in his office thinking of me.
“In this fantasy, where are you going to come?” I asked. My breathing had picked up in time with his and my thighs were clenching and unclenching.
“Slam my hips into you and fire off deep inside.”
I loved the richness of his voice, the edge of desperation coloring the tone. He was desperate, and I was desperate to hear him get off. Then I would go play with my little pink vibe and replay the sound over and over in my head.
“You’re going to fill my little pussy?”
“Fuck, yes, baby,” he growled. “Every fucking time.”
I bit down on my lips as I tried to think about what might send
him over the edge. I made my voice higher in pitch. “But it’s not a safe day, Mr. Bennett.”
I was already pregnant, so it didn’t matter, but by the sounds he was making, the idea of coming inside me on a fertile day excited him.
“Fucking…” he trailed off, nothing but a litany of moans littered with curse words could be heard. His breath was harsh, echoing into the phone, and it took him a moment for him to calm down enough to speak.
I already had my hand between my thighs, my middle finger pressed against my clit, ready to meet up with my vibe.
“Shit. I really want to find you one of those catholic school girl outfits now,” he said once he caught his breath.
A giggle left me. “I might just happen to have a short plaid skirt in my closet. However, I’m beginning to think you have an impregnation fetish.”
“Maybe, but if I do, it’s all your fault,” he said.
“My fault?”
“Mm-hmm. Because all I can think about is how fucking hot that night was, and what it made.”
That night was hot. It was a night I would never forget, and for more reasons than the one brewing inside me.
He blew out a breath. “I should clean up this mess you made me make and finish up this email so I can head home.”
A chuckle left me at his placing the blame on me. “Okay.” I let out a sigh. “Friday can’t come soon enough.”
“Two days,” he said in a low voice. “Goodnight, Natasha.”
“Night, Richard.”
I hung up the phone and promptly went into the bedroom and fired up my vibe.
We were week one into the budget planning project. At first I thought it was just an excuse to see me or help me with a promotion or something.
And I was fairly certain I was correct, but he’d also made a lot of good points as to why I was the only person to help. While there was no way I could replace Nina, if I showed initiative and skill, it could help me move into a different position. One that paid more.
More money was definitely on the brain. With a baby on the way, my finances were going to drastically change. Not to mention I would need more space. The plan I’d made with Jenna to move into the condos by the river was now a necessity. One that I needed to get rolling on…if I could find the energy for it.
