by Alana Jade
Putting my hands in my lap, I reach my finger out to touch the record button on my security device on the underside of my desk before I place my hands on top and crossing them. “Is there something I can help you with, Isabel?”
I had a video camera installed in my office, so I can record all of the acquisition meetings in case people claim I’ve promised them something, but it’s not in the final contract. I’ve been burned once before, so this has been my insurance policy. With Isabel, I don’t trust her one bit, so it’s for my safety that I’ve switched it on.
She struts around to my side of the desk and casually sits on the very edge of the dark filing cabinets against the wall of my office. As I spin my chair to face her, I instantly feel uneasy in this situation. Isabel’s like a snake, you need to keep your eyes on her at all times, watching out for sudden moves.
I ask her again, “What can I help you with?”
“I’ve already told you.”
“And I’ve already answered. So, if you don’t mind…” I point at the door, but she doesn’t get the hint.
“Is Georgia not here today? Not working out?” she purrs.
“She’s out of the office today. How she’s doing in her position is none of your business. So, if you don’t mind, I need to get on with my work.” I reach behind my chair, tapping at the papers on my desk. The longer she sits there, the more I’m becoming annoyed by her presence.
“I can help,” she starts, reaching out, lightly touching my arm. She’s practically got her tits in my face. I can’t help but see she’s unbuttoned the top of her blouse between speaking outside and now in here.
Internally, I’m yelling at her to get the hell out of my office, but I know the right thing to do is to try to defuse the situation without getting angry with her. Isabel’s known to fly off the rails if she doesn’t get her way. It’s the main reason she’s already received a written warning.
I place my hand on top of hers, gently prying her off me, but instead of cooperating, she stops my hand with hers and jumps off the filing cabinet to stand much closer to me.
“I know you feel this connection between us, too, Adam,” she mutters.
I cringe when she mouths my name. It’s not a pair of lips I want to see saying it.
“I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression, Isabel. There’s absolutely no connection between us.”
“I disagree. You come to work dressed so handsome in your business suits, they fit in all the right places. You flirt up a storm with me.” She grasps my hand, moving it toward her body, but before she makes me touch her, I pull away harshly.
“Isabel, this is completely inappropriate. Please—” I’m cut off from finishing my sentence when she wraps her arms around my neck, pulls my head toward her chest before shimmering back and forth.
I don’t like forceful women.
I like to be the one in charge.
This is disgusting. I instantly wonder if Zac has put her up to this.
Finally managing to push her back, I take a moment to think about what to say to her. “This is beyond crossing the line. Get out!”
Isabel leans down, planting a kiss on my lips. My arms flail before I manage to push her away from me. There’s no want or passion in the kiss. It’s as though she’s trying to show off in front of someone. She takes a step back from me.
“Isabel,” I gasp.
“Oh, Georgia,” she cries, her hands flying up beside her face in fake surprise before she slaps me across the face. “I can’t believe you forced me to do this, Mr. Cunningham, now someone’s seen what you do.”
“What?” I explode.
Her movements are so overdramatic you’d think you were watching a soap opera.
This explains the kiss.
But shit, why did it have to be Georgia who saw it. This would have been ten times easier if it were Zac or anyone else for that matter. Not the girl who has a special place in my heart.
I spin around to see Georgia frozen to the spot with her hand over her mouth.
“Isabel, get out! Expect a second warning on your desk in the morning.”
“It was worth it. But I thought it’d be Zac to walk in,” she whispers before straightening her outfit, sniffs, then hastily walks out of the office. She pauses to whisper something to Georgia, then walks off.
That bitch used me to make Zac jealous.
It takes a moment for Georgia to comprehend what’s happened.
“Georgia, it’s not what—” I try to explain.
“Don’t, Adam. Just don’t. Whatever you do is your business.” Georgia takes a step closer to me to say, “You do this with her, but it was wrong when we kissed. Double standards much.” She turns and flees the office.
Fuck!
Do I follow her?
Do I let her go?
I decide to follow her, I need to explain this mess right now before it gets more out of control.
Jumping up from my chair, I rush to the foyer and see Georgia walking into the elevator.
“Georgia,” I call as I see her frantically pushing the button.
Getting to the elevator as the doors close, I put my hand between them and push them back open and then stand in the way so it can’t close again.
“Georgia… let me explain…” I begin.
“There’s nothing to explain. If you want to hook up with Isabel, it has nothing to do with me,” she shouts. I can sense the tone of disgust in her voice.
“Come out here and let me explain. Please,” I calmly say as my eyes dart around trying to see if anyone else is still on this level.
Why the fuck is she being so stubborn?
“Step out of the lift, Adam. Let me go. I don’t need to hear whatever it is you want to say.”
“Please. Two minutes… just two minutes,” I plead. My eyes drift to her feet as I let out an audible sigh. If she continues to fight with me, I will have to let her go. I’m not going to continue arguing with someone who doesn’t want to hear my explanation.
Georgia takes a step forward. I look up. “You have exactly two minutes.”
Cautiously, I take a few steps back, staring at Georgia to make sure she follows. Luckily, she does, barely stepping outside the elevator.
“Firstly, what you saw in there was nothing like it seemed,” I reiterate.
“Don’t rehash things, Adam. You have a minute and forty-five seconds.”
“You need to listen to everything I have to say.”
“But I don’t care about your fling with Isabel. If that’s who you want to be with, then it’s your choice.” She takes a deep breath. “I wouldn’t have picked you with Isabel, but it’s not my problem who you want to screw,” she mutters.
“Georgia, I’m not screwing Isabel. I’m not screwing anyone. Fuck! Will you just listen? Isabel came on to me. I thought I was alone on this level. She came out of nowhere then followed me back into my office.”
“As if I’m meant to believe that.”
“Believe it. Fuck! I’ve got the damn thing on tape.” The moment the words slip from my mouth, I instantly regret them, my eyes squinting with disbelief at my own stupidity. No one knows about my set-up in the office.
Luckily for me, it seems to slip past Georgia too. “I shouldn’t care who you kiss or sleep with. I shouldn’t.” She takes a deep breath, then looks at her feet, tracing the lines of the tiles.
“No, you shouldn’t.”
“But why are you chasing me to tell me the truth? I don’t get it, Adam.”
“It’s complicated,” I reply.
“Fuck, complicated. Tell me why?” I’m slightly taken aback by her use of cuss words.
“Because… ah fuck!” I run my hands angrily through my hair, messing up the gelled style.
“Adam…” Georgia says again. I can’t take it anymore.
“Georgia… I want you to know I’m not fucking Isabel or even want to kiss her because you are the only girl I want to kiss. You’re the only one I want to touch. You. No one else.”
I take a step forward, staring her straight in the eyes. As what I’ve said sinks in, her eyes widen more and more, and then she takes a step back as though she’s trying to flee, but she’s flush against the elevator doors.
Taking this as my opportunity, I run a finger down her cheek before pressing my lips to hers.
There’s no turning back for me now.
I’ve made my feelings known.
Georgia
The fact that I’m pinned against doors that could open at any time doesn’t even bother me at this moment when normally I would be freaking the hell out at the thought of falling.
I know Adam has me.
I’m safe in his arms.
And what strong, sexy arms they are.
From the moment he started to defend himself, I believed everything he was saying about Isabel. She comes across as a woman who’s trying to screw her way to the top.
Maybe I should have accepted what he said when he first tried to explain?
But if I did, would we be kissing like we are now?
In my head, I’m calling Isabel a bitch and a slut, but now isn’t the right time to be thinking about her. I’m kissing Adam, and it’s a massive turn on. A gentle, sweet kiss has now turned into a hungry, passionate kiss by the time we finally come up for air, and we’re both gasping for breath.
“Woah,” I puff out with a grin plastered on my face. My skin feels tingly, and honestly, the feelings are overwhelming. “I never knew kissing could be like that.”
“What! Why? You’ve never been kissed with need before?” he asks, and I can tell by his tone he’s astonished.
Sadly, I shake my head. It’s true. Blaze wasn’t much of a kisser. At the most, it was only ever a closed mouth kiss to get me in the mood when he wanted to get his rocks off. Our normal, everyday kiss hello or goodbye was simply a peck on the mouth or even on the cheek. Maybe right there was the big flashing neon light I completely missed in our relationship.
Not that I ever want to compare Adam to Blaze. Adam’s already proven to be more trustworthy and caring in five minutes than Blaze was in our entire relationship.
“Well, you’re in for a treat then. Come on…” Adam reaches out for my hand, leading me back into his office, closing the door behind me. Excitement is bubbling away in my stomach.
I look at Adam, give him a little smirk, nervously biting my lip. I’ve never done that before, it wasn’t a deliberate thing, but something about that little action has Adam looking at me like a lion about to pounce on his prey. He drops my hand and takes a step toward me, pushing me against the door. My hair, which is in a messy bun, is stopping my head from being knocked against the wood.
One arm snakes around my waist while the other is beside my head. Adam’s fingers gently caress my face as his lips massage mine in a slow rhythm, his tongue asking permission for my lips to open. I feel as though I’m floating on a cloud, and my limbs are weightless.
Not being able to refuse, I slightly part my lips, which opens me to a whole new sensation.
Suddenly, I remember the cameras in Adam’s office, so I push against his chest, hoping he gets the hint and backs off slightly.
“The camera… it’s not on, is it?” I ask, after breaking our kiss.
“Shit. It is. Hang on.” Adam flies across the room, doing something several times under his desk before leaning down and checking. He looks flustered and slightly embarrassed.
“All good?” I ask, with a bit of a smirk on my face.
“It is now. Hmmm… so, where were we?” he growls, sweeping his arms around me in the same position we were in only moments ago.
This time I let my head fall back against the door, enjoying Adam’s kiss. I’m finding it even more enjoyable that I’m a good half a foot shorter than Adam, so he’s leaning down to kiss me. With Blaze, we were the same height, so I never got to experience the whole standing-on-my-toes feeling I’ve read about in romance books.
I can’t help but let my hand wander as we embrace. I can feel his stomach muscles through his shirt, and I’m wanting more and more. His arms feel strong, muscly, but not overdone.
My knees feel weak. When his trimmed beard pleasantly grazes my nose and mouth, I start to feel like putty in his hands. It’s all adding to this very intense feeling running over my entire body. I can’t believe we’re only kissing, and he’s turning me on this much.
The buzz of his cell in his pocket shocks us both back to reality, and he fetches it. He takes one look at the screen and sends it to voicemail.
“I’m not going to have Zac interrupt this now.” Adam grins.
“Maybe it’s important,” I offer, encouraging him to take the call.
“It’s time to leave. I’ll call him tomorrow.”
Still trying to regain my composure, I raise my hand, and Adam links his fingers with mine before gently placing kisses on each one.
“I’d like to take you out for dinner tonight. Somewhere nice. Perhaps we could call it our first date?”
I smile at the thought.
“But what about the whole no-office dating?” I blurt out, which makes him take a step back from me.
My stomach turns with anxiety when he does.
Damn! Have I said the wrong thing?
Will this make him back out of whatever this is, yet again?
“I’m not sure. Right now, though, I want to explore what we have, and I’ll deal with the consequences later,” he tells me, so matter-of-factly.
“Really?” I ask, crinkling up my nose and smiling.
“Fuck, yeah. I’m not going to turn away from this.”
My stomach flip flops sending a wave of excitement through my body. “Thank goodness. I couldn’t handle another rejection.”
Adam reaches for my other hand and slowly brings it to his mouth, keeping eye contact with me the entire time, then he places a tender kiss on my skin. “Want to head home before going to dinner?” he asks.
I nod. There’s no way I’m wearing black pants and a cream blouse to wherever Adam takes me tonight. The way he worded his sentence should make me nervous, but I’m not. If things with Adam lead to sex, then yes, please. If he can turn me on this much with a few kisses, I can only imagine what else he can do.
“So, where are we going?” I question.
“It’s a surprise. Wear something dressy. I’ll drive us home, but I’ll have Tony, my driver, take us out tonight.”
I become all giddy with excitement. This will be my first date. Well, the first time I’ve been asked out on a date. The only other date I can think of was two groups of friends coming together, one lot males and one female. We all met at a bowling alley. I’ve never been on an actual date.
Work and school used to be my priorities, then working and college. My social life has never blossomed. I’m convinced Rose used to hang around with me because I often paid for dinners or trips to the movies. I was nothing more than a friend of convenience to her.
So, to have someone tell me I need to dress up because he’s taking me somewhere nice for dinner to get to know me, well, it’s simply mind-blowing. Someone wants to spend time with me. The excitement gets too much, and a little giggle escapes my mouth.
Relief washes over me when I remember taking some of my nicer dresses and jackets when I went back to my mom’s house earlier. It was the quickest I’ve ever been in and out of that house, which is just as well as it seemed to bring back too many memories I simply don’t want to recall. But I stayed strong, and after I was finished, it felt like I was leaving that part of my life behind.
I’m so glad Mom or Alfred hadn’t moved the hidden key—grateful it was still perched on top of the front door frame. All of my bedroom furniture was gone, though. There were boxes everywhere, but I managed to grab some of my clothing from the wardrobe Mom hadn’t touched yet, and luckily, she hadn’t found my shoebox of memories I’d collected over the years of my dad and me.
After Adam drives us home, I grasp my bags from the back of the
car before calling over my shoulder, “When should I be ready?”
“As soon as you’re ready. Come over when you are.” Adam smiles, and my heart melts.
The next forty minutes are a blur of showering, shaving legs, trying to style my hair which doesn’t want to cooperate, at all, then applying makeup which is something I’m not overly good at.
I stare at myself in the mirrored wardrobe door, judging myself, hoping my poor makeup and hairdressing skills haven’t made me look like a hooker. Sure, I don’t look flashy like the kinds of girls I am sure Adam is used to, but I believe I’m dressed well enough for a fancy restaurant.
My dark blue off-the-shoulder dress flairs at my waist, sitting slightly above my knee. I’ve teamed it with a cream jacket and nude low heels. My hair finally gave in, allowing me to sweep it to the side. I curled any pieces which weren’t already wavy.
Taking the small, black Gucci knockoff handbag from my bed, another souvenir from my mother’s house, I place my keys and wallet inside, then slide it over my shoulder. As I smooth my dress for the final time, I pucker my lips and smack them together, deeming myself as perfectly ready as I can be for a fun night out with Adam.
As I step onto my front stoop, I’m almost scared half to death by Adam’s gardener, Clinton. I let out a shriek.
“Sorry, Georgia, didn’t mean to scare you. Just doing a last sweep before heading home,” he says as he purses his lips together and offers me a wave goodbye.
While Clinton seems nice enough, he’s a little on the strange side. He’s snuck up on me a few times and scared me. But I guess he has to be out here, so maybe it’s just me who’s jumpy because he’s always in the garden and that’s his job.
I wave before walking to Adam’s back door.
Before I can even step the three stairs or reach up the knock on the door, Adam pulls it open giving me a sexy grin—one that makes me weak at the knees. I can’t even comprehend words, let alone speak any right now.
“Wow,” he breathes out before taking a step out of the door and down one stair. He leans down placing a kiss on my lips.
“Ah, Adam,” I say, pulling back and motioning toward the garden where Clinton is milling around. I’m also worried he’ll kiss off my lipstick. Luckily, I bought the tube with me.
