S is for Second Chance

by Annie J. Rose

  “You don’t do the club thing?”

  She groaned. “No. I have, but it wasn’t my scene. I didn’t like the bumping and grinding and the idea that everyone is there to get laid.”

  I chuckled. “You weren’t?”

  “No! I’m not like that!”

  In the back of my mind, I thought that was impressive. She was a beautiful young woman. Instead of using her beauty to get ahead, she played it down. I got the impression she was hiding her true self. She was smart but didn’t come off as a know-it-all. She was subtle, the type of person that was always listening. She didn’t butt in, and she didn’t push her opinions and ideas on anyone.

  “You’re going to go far in this business,” I told her.

  She giggled. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for all this. It seems very high pressure.”

  “Nah, it’s not so bad. It can take a bit to get a deal put together, but the reward is awesome. There is nothing better than having your hard work pay off. This particular deal has taken months to pull together. It’s going to be good—great.”

  She smiled and nodded but said nothing. I watched from my chair as she methodically stacked papers, making sure they were even before sliding them into a packet. She was meticulous, someone who couldn’t be trained. It was just her way. I watched her work for several minutes until she turned and caught me looking at her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I answered, quickly pulling myself together.

  I couldn’t have the hot young intern. She was off-limits, I reminded myself.

  “I need more folios,” she said.

  I nodded, trying not to look directly at her. “They are in the file cabinet.”

  She got to her feet and walked over to the tall cabinet and pulled on the top drawer. She yanked again. “Dammit,” she muttered under her breath.

  I chuckled and got up to help her. I had just moved behind her when she jerked hard again. The drawer gave way, sending her flying backward. I reached out to catch her before she could fall on her butt. My arm wrapped around her waist, automatically tugging her toward me.

  Her body slammed against mine. She looked at me, her eyes wide as her gaze dropped to my lips. I watched as the tip of her tongue popped out of her mouth and licked her lips. It was the last straw for my willpower. I couldn’t resist what I had been wanting for so long. Her soft, pliable body was in my arms, her mouth inches from my own.

  One kiss, I had told myself. One quick kiss and that was all I needed to satisfy my longing for her. I gave her a chance to deny me. I looked into her eyes, almost hoping she would push me away. She didn’t. Her eyes fluttered closed, and that was all I needed.

  My lips touched hers, barely brushing over them before I went in deep. I turned her in my arms and pressed my lips against her, demanding her to open up and let me in. She promptly obliged, allowing me to sweep my tongue inside her mouth. I moaned into her mouth. I knew at that moment one taste wasn’t going to be enough. I needed so much more.

  My hands dropped to her hips, yanking her against me. I wanted her to feel how hard she made me. How much I wanted her. I heard her sharp intake of breath when she felt what she had done to me. She didn’t pull away.

  Her lack of pulling away was the permission I had been seeking. I deepened the kiss, holding her lower body against mine. The little vixen was grinding herself against me. She wasn’t quite as innocent as she seemed. Her breasts rubbed against my chest, her hands reaching into my hair.

  I told myself to stop. I told myself it was going too far. I couldn’t stop. I needed her like I needed air. My hand reached around to unzip her skirt. I pulled the zipper down before wiggling the fabric over her hips. She lifted one foot, then the other, kicking the skirt out of the way.

  I pulled my mouth away from hers and slowly unbuttoned her blouse before pushing it over her shoulders and down her arms. Her body arched, her breasts straining toward me. The red lace bra barely concealed her puckered nipples. My eyes traveled down her body; the matching thong was too much for me to resist.

  I reached for her, yanking her slender body against mine. My mouth slammed over hers, taking what I had been craving for weeks. Her hands slid up my back while mine stroked down her sides until my hands were filled with her perfectly round ass. It wasn’t long before she was tugging at my shirt, pulling it from where it was tucked into my pants. Her hands slipped under the fabric, splaying out over my chest as she massaged my pecs.

  “Off,” I growled.

  I needed skin-to-skin contact. With my mouth still glued to hers, I undid the buttons of my shirt before stripping it off. She pulled her mouth away and planted it against my chest. Her hot, wet mouth suckled me. It felt like I was being branded. I hissed in a breath as her hands moved down my chest, unhooking my belt buckle and yanking open my pants.

  My last coherent thought was something about not fucking the intern in my office and that thought was quickly pushed aside. Fucking the intern was exactly what I was going to do.

  Chapter 8

  Elly

  I wanted the bra off. I wanted my panties off. I wanted both of us naked. I had never wanted a man as much as I wanted him. The last few weeks working closely alongside him had been foreplay—a very long, drawn-out round of foreplay. It had left me aching with need.

  I wrapped my hand over him through the cotton fabric. It was like rubbing a solid steel shaft. “I want you,” I whispered next to his ear.

  “You’re going to have me,” he said, his voice raspy. He pushed my panties down. While I kicked them and my heels off, he unhooked my bra. My breasts spilled out, caught in his hot hands. He massaged them before dropping his mouth to one nipple and then the other.

  “Devin,” I moaned. My body felt like I was on fire.

  In one swoop, he lifted me, dropping me on the desk. I watched as he stripped off his pants, letting them fall to his ankles. I bit my lower lip, staring at the size of him bulging in his boxers. He was so much man. I wasn’t used to men like him; real men. My eyes roamed over his chest, the smattering of black hair and the sexy trail over his navel that disappeared under his boxers.

  I reached for the waistband of his underwear and frantically pushed them down. “Oh,” I breathed, seeing just what it was he was packing.

  His hand slid up my inner thigh, opening my legs. I didn’t resist. I opened myself to him. His fingertips slid over my folds, opening me to him. I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, giving over to the need I had been fighting for so long. One thick finger pushed into my opening. I was already wet, easing the way.

  “You’re ready,” he whispered.

  I kissed his chest before sucking a swath of skin into my mouth. “I’m ready,” I answered, looking up at him.

  He didn’t hesitate. He pulled his finger out before guiding his heavy cock to my opening. I whimpered as his thick girth pushed inside. It stretched me, sending brilliant sensations of pleasure and pain racing through my body. It didn’t take long before my body adjusted and he was sliding inside me, inch by glorious inch.

  “God damn, you’re so fucking tight,” he groaned.

  “You’re so big,” I blurted out without thinking.

  He released a combination of a groan and a laugh as he pushed himself impossibly deeper. My arms went around his neck, pulling my body closer to his. The close contact was all that was needed to send my body spiraling into a melody of fireworks.

  “Oh shit,” I gasped, waking myself up as my legs rubbed together, my pussy throbbing with the climax that had been the result of a very wet dream.

  I looked over at the small bed that I had purchased for Lizzy. She was sound asleep. I rubbed a hand over my face before grabbing my phone off the nightstand and checking the time. It was just after seven in the morning.

  I blew out a breath, trying to shake off the self-induced orgasm. I threw off the blankets and got out of bed, padding out to the kitchen to start some coffee. I hated that the man could still make me
come without even being near me. The memory of our night together was often the thing that woke me up from an erotic dream.

  I couldn’t believe I was about to do it all over again. I hadn’t recovered from the first time, and here I was preparing to march myself into the lion’s den. I knew I should feel ashamed for whoring myself out to get something my father needed. But I couldn’t feel ashamed. In my mind, Devin was my one. He hated me, which presented a bit of a problem, but I couldn’t see it as anything other than two adults choosing to share their bodies with one another.

  I knew he wanted me, and I damn well knew I wanted him. People my age had flings all the time. I preferred to think of my coming night with Devin as a thing, not an arrangement with sex being exchanged for a business deal.

  Truthfully, I needed sex—real sex. Not the sex that involved me and my vibrator back at home. I had gotten one taste of great sex and that was it. It was like getting one Dorito and never having another. I couldn’t bring myself to sleep with another man. After I had done what I did to Devin and then found out I was pregnant, I’d fled, throwing myself into being a mother to our little girl.

  I sipped my coffee and stared out at the view of the city. I felt very much like a caged animal. I was counting down the minutes until I had to present myself to him. Had to may not have been the most accurate way of saying it. I kind of wanted to.

  I spaced out for I didn’t know how long. It was Lizzy’s voice calling for me that pulled me out of the trip down memory lane. “In here, baby,” I called out, walking down the hall to meet her.

  She smiled, her dark blonde hair mussed as she walked toward me. I scooped her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Are you hungry?”

  “I want oatmeal,” she answered.

  I smiled. “Okay. You go potty and I’ll make your oatmeal.”

  She toddled down the hall. I was glad she was awake. It would give me something to focus on. I had to keep my mind off Devin. My skin was super-sensitized; it always got like that after one of my dreams. Being back in New York and close to him had left me feeling very out of sorts. I had to remind myself he was a dangerous man hell-bent on revenge. I couldn’t let my body’s needs interfere with what my brain knew to be a risky situation.

  He was a smooth operator and could very easily seduce me with very little effort. I had to stay focused on the goal. One night and then I was done. I would never see or hear from him again. It would be over. Devin and his gorgeous eyes and sexy body would be nothing more than a memory.

  I spent the next several hours trying to stay busy. I played with Lizzy, cleaned up the apartment, and did an online grocery order. It was just after four when the doorman called. He asked if I was expecting company. I very happily told him yes.

  I opened the door and waited in the hall. When I heard the elevator ding, I couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since I had seen my best friend, Jane Middlemarch. She and I were very different, which could be why we got along so well.

  Her bright red hair was piled on top of her head and she was wearing a pair of giant hoop earrings and a pair of skinny jeans and a tiny shirt that showed off her slender figure. “You bitch!” she shouted down the hall.

  I burst into laughter. “I love you.”

  “I know, which is why you need to keep your ass here. You can’t leave me alone in this city. You know I’m going to get in trouble.”

  I rolled my eyes, before throwing my arms around her. “You would get in trouble anywhere no matter who was around.”

  She giggled. “Let me see my best little friend,” she said as we walked into the apartment.

  Lizzy was sitting on the couch, a little bowl of goldfish crackers in her lap and her eyes glued to Mickey Mouse on the screen. “Lizzy, Auntie Jane is here,” I said.

  Lizzy barely looked away from the TV. “Hi,” she mumbled.

  “Clearly I left an impression,” she quipped.

  “Sorry. Mickey is very important to her.”

  “So, tell me, what brought you back to the Big Apple? I thought you said you were never coming back.”

  I groaned and jerked my head toward the kitchen. “I’m meeting Devin tonight,” I whispered.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Um, why? I thought we hated him.”

  “I don’t hate him. He hates me. It’s a very strange dynamic between us. It’s like having a love affair with chocolate. So good, but so bad for you.”

  “Ah yes. But what do you mean meeting him? You asked if I could stay the night with Lizzy. That sounds a lot more like a hookup than a meeting.”

  “I agreed to stay the night with him,” I confessed.

  She put a hand on her hip. “You dragged your ass back to New York City for a one-night stand with your baby daddy? That is one hell of a booty call. What is that man packing that he can get you to fly across the country for a night of banging.”

  I scowled at her. “It isn’t banging. And he didn’t call me. He didn’t even know I was coming. My dad got into some trouble. Turns out Devin is chasing the same deal my father is. The deal can make or break my father’s company. My dad called me and asked me to help. That was before he knew Devin was involved.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t know Devin was involved?”

  I frowned and realized she was onto something. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “So, how is you staying the night with him going to help anything?”

  “I doubt he’s going to want to do a lot of small talk. We have nothing to talk about.”

  She raised an eyebrow and then very purposely looked at Lizzy. “No, nothing at all.”

  “He wants to take down my father. I offered to stay the night with him in exchange for him dropping his pursuit of the deal.”

  She laughed. “And he agreed to it?”

  “Obviously.”

  “Wow. Is that smart?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t really have a choice. He isn’t going to just walk away until he makes me pay in some way. Me submitting to him is what he wants. I know he’s pissed about what happened. He needs to feel like he’s getting back at me. This will hopefully satisfy him.”

  “Something tells me he won’t be the only one satisfied,” Jane teased.

  I rolled my eyes. “I mean, he is fantastic in the sack that’s for sure, and it has been a while since I’ve gotten any,” I admitted.

  “What if he asks where you’ve been or what you’ve been up to? What if you mention Lizzy?”

  I laughed. “Like I said earlier, I don’t think we’re going to be doing a lot of talking, and I certainly don’t think he gives a shit about what I’ve been up to.”

  “Elly, I know you still have some serious feelings for him. You are walking a very dangerous line.”

  She was right. “I have to,” I said. “One night. I can handle one night. Once I know the deal is secured for my father, I’m out of here. I’m going back to California, and I’m not going to think twice about Devin or this city ever again.”

  She popped out her bottom lip before grabbing me and pulling me in for a big hug. “I’m sorry. I hate that you have to do this. I’ll support you no matter what goes down. But I really don’t want to see you hurt again. I know how hard it was for you the last time.”

  I hugged her back. “I’ll be okay.”

  She released me and stared into my eyes. “I know you’ll be okay, but I know it’s going to be difficult.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to watch Lizzy for me. I certainly don’t trust my dad to do it.”

  She grinned. “Eh, it was just another party. You’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all.”

  “Still, I know you’re a social butterfly. I do appreciate you doing this for me. The next time you come to visit, I will treat you to a spa day.”

  She grinned. “I’m going to hold you to it. Now, what are you going to wear?”

  I looked down at the jeans and blouse I had on. “This?”

  She wr
inkled her nose. “I know this isn’t a date, but you can’t wear that. Aren’t you supposed to be seducing him?”

  I laughed. “I don’t need to. I know exactly what he wants. I could show up in a paper bag and it would be fine.”

  Chapter 9

  Devin

  I was committed to saying no. I had been giving myself the longest pep talk of my life all day long. I could not fall into her trap. I could not let temptation rule. I had to reject her. I would let her play her part, let her work to seduce me, and I would pretend to be falling under her spell, but I would not succumb.

  It was going to take every ounce of willpower I had, but my rejection of her throwing herself at me would be the ultimate revenge. She had used her body in the past, and I had fallen for it. Not this time. I was going to throw her words right back at her. I was going to tell her I didn’t think it was a good idea to repeat past mistakes. She was a mistake.

  I wanted to watch her face fall. I wanted her to be insulted and ashamed. I needed her to feel the same kind of blow to her pride that I had felt when I learned she had used me. It was a strange feeling, one that couldn’t really be duplicated in any other way except by rejection. There was a specific rawness, a burning that was left behind after being used and tossed aside.

  She had nothing that I wanted, and therefore I couldn’t necessarily use her to get ahead, but I could certainly make her feel duped. I was counting on tonight to set me back on the right track. Ever since she’d used me and humiliated me, I’d been damaged goods. I could put on a good show, but inside, I didn’t feel like a whole man.

  I had been unable to trust another woman out of fear it would be a repeat of the Elly situation. I had a giant chip on my shoulder, and I wanted it gone. I wanted to be free of that ugliness. I was positive the only way that could happen was by taking back the pride and dignity she had stolen from me. I wanted to move on. I was desperate to close that chapter of my life. It had held me back for too long. I heard the doorbell. Normally, I would have the staff to answer the door, but they all had the night off. It was just me and Elly and my massive townhouse. “Showtime,” I muttered to myself.