by Misty Dawn
"Oh fuck yes," I heard myself moan. My cum splashed in spurts against the condom around my dick. It felt like an insane amount of cum, but I couldn't find it in me to care as I slowed down the rhythm of my hips.
As I came down from my orgasm I suddenly realized how fucking exhausted and out of breath I was. I might have been a gym rat, but fucking is a whole different workout. I looked down at Missy who was flushed and sweating, looking up at me in disbelief.
I leaned down and kissed her again, my hand finding her jaw, gently stoking her cheek. I pulled back. "That was…incredible," I told her.
She blinked her eyes open and looked at me. "Mmhmm," she agreed, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. I could see that she felt strange about what we'd just done, about the position we were both in at work. I nuzzled against her nose, confident, that I would never let anything get in the way of what we had tonight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Missy
What the hell had I just done? I'd just fucked a man who held my job in his hands and could fire me at any moment, no questions asked. I'd fucked a man who was rich and successful, who knew nothing about me, nor I him, and I was ashamed to say I wanted to do it again.
Where had my self control gone?
I was not this type of person. I did not take these types of risks, I did not randomly hook up with anyone. In fact, that's why I had stayed with Conrad for so long.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that staying comfortable and familiar was leading to some of the worst things in my life. The mundane job. The crappy hook-up buddy. I hadn't taken a risk since I packed up my things to move here. Then, I was so scared of failing that I forgot to actually take the risks that had gotten me here in the first place.
I looked at Leo. He was so handsome, sitting by the fire, sipping his wine, watching me with his gorgeous emerald eyes. I wasn't sure how sleeping with him was going to directly lead me to any sort of success, but it did make me feel happier, freer somehow. I felt like being with Leo finally made me feel like I could cut ties with Conrad.
So, I didn't know many people out here still. So what? That didn't mean I had to stay in a shit relationship to overcome that.
"Penny for your thoughts," Leo said. His flush had softened slightly, and he watched me as I got lost in my own head.
I smiled. "Nothing important," I answered.
"Doubt that very much," he said, moving closer towards me. I wrapped part of my blanket around his shoulders and leaned into him.
"Leo," I said very seriously. His brow furrowed and he looked at me quizzically. "I don't normally do this type of thing." He grinned. I closed my eyes in humiliation. "Ew," I said. "I just sounded like one of those girls, didn't I?"
"One of what girls?" he asked, before leaning in to kiss me again. This kiss was soft, a welcome gesture after the frenzied sex we'd just had. His lips just fit perfectly between mine, and the way his breath smelled as he breathed out was this musky, wonderful smell. I could inhale him, taste him, for hours.
I hated how familiar this felt.
The kiss broke, but our faces stayed close to one another. God, his eyes were luscious, oceans of depth I got lost in each time we looked at each other. He nuzzled into my neck, his lips finding my flesh, tickling me slightly. I giggled, and down we went, both gently falling to the floor on our sides. I faced the fire, while he faced me, lying atop the blanket. There wasn't nearly enough to go around now, so I grabbed the second one we'd forgotten about and pulled it over us.
It was like lying in bed with someone I'd known forever. He pulled me into his arms, my head on his chest, fingers drawing little circles into the side of his skin. I could forget the world like this, smelling him, feeling him, having his fingers massage my scalp. I was acutely aware of how naked we both were still, but it was like the sex had done something to both of us. That, coupled with the warm blanket, the fire beside us, and how he touched me drowned out the rest of the world.
I was asleep before I knew what had happened.
I woke with a start as I heard the power kick in and the lights flickered to life above us. My phone had died, so I had no idea what time it was, but from the looks of things outside, it was early morning. I was still warm and still naked, but very much alone underneath the blanket I had draped over Leo and myself last night.
The fire had been put out, and I grinned thinking of Leo trying to knock out the last burning ember. The thought was swatted away however, by my own self-doubt. Being naked under this blanket was the last thing I wanted to be in broad daylight and overhead lights. I thought about my drying underwear still on the tub in Leo's bathroom and felt my face flush.
I looked for any sign of life, any indication that Leo was still around, but there was no movement in the kitchen or living room. My stomach fell, and I felt sick to my stomach. Suddenly the fantasy of last night shattered around me, allowing anxiety to fill the void. Last night I'd fallen asleep, so confident of waking up in his arms. Confident that sex hadn't altered the great banter we had before we'd started kissing. I had some inkling of hope that there was some sort of unbelievable possibility there might be something more between us.
I tucked the blanket around myself and tip-toed barefoot into the hallway, towards the bathroom, but it was so quiet I knew there was nobody around.
Well, fuck.
I bolted into the bathroom, finding my clothes that I'd laid out yesterday stiff, but dry. I pulled them back onto my body feeling wildly uncomfortable, but still better than being naked on the floor in a strangers house. I caught sight of myself in the mirror, flushed cheeks, wild hair, frantic eyes, and my face fell.
Who the hell was I kidding? No wonder Leo ran first thing in the morning from his own damn house. I was a mess. I scrambled through my purse to find my phone charger and plugged it into the wall bringing it to life. Two voicemails from my parents, and a message from Conrad.
You ok?
I rolled my eyes. Another message from Amanda, my assistant manager.
Just got home. Took me two hours. Hope you are okay - will you let me know when you get home?
Damn. Another message followed.
Haven't heard from you…starting to worry. Why is your phone off?
If only she knew what happened last night.
Call me when you get this. Want to make sure you're okay.
I stared at the message for a minute, then I pressed the call button, ringing Amanda on her cell. It rang three times, before I heard a very groggy, "Hello?"
"Hey Amanda, it's Missy."
"Shit!" she said, her voice brightening. "Where the hell have you been?"
If you only knew. "My car broke down," I told her. "I got a ride…from the mall." I bit my lip and looked at my lying face in the mirror, mortified with myself.
"Are you home?" she asked. "Do you have power?"
"Yeah, I have power," I said, deliberately avoiding her first question.
She paused. I could almost hear the gears working in her head. "Where are you?" she asked suspiciously. "You're not telling me something."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice entirely too high to be telling the truth.
"Missy!"
"What?"
"Tell me!"
I sighed, weighing my options. Amanda was the closest thing I had to a friend, who had any inkling of who Leo was and what kind of predicament this put me in. I trusted her. I needed to start confiding in people, and putting myself out there. Even though last night might have ended in disaster, it didn't mean I had to shut everyone out.
"You can't say anything…to anyone," I hissed into the receiver, going towards the window to look outside. The wind had died down and the sun shone brightly down onto the frozen snow-covered surface.
"Why? Now I'm intrigued. Spill, girl!"
"I'm at Leo Bradley's house." The words left my mouth, his name left a tingle on my tongue as I immediately flashed back to his tongue in my mouth last night, the way his lips felt against mine as he pushed
his cock up into my center.
"Bradley?" Amanda said, sounding far away. "The property and operations guy? You're kidding." She paused, waiting for me to laugh, but I stayed still and silent. "Fuck! Missy!"
"I know," I said, wincing. "But I had no way to get home and he was the only one left in the mall."
"Oh my god," she said. "He's gorgeous."
I bit my lip again. "I know." And he tastes like sin, and his lips are velvet, just like his thick, throbbing--
"So…" she said.
"So nothing!" I answered, shaking free from my thoughts. "Any idea how the roads are? Can you come get me?"
"Why would you want me to? I would pay to be stranded with that man." She moaned dramatically. I rolled my eyes again.
"I just…need to get out of here," I said, shame washing over me once more. "I gotta get home. Get a change of clothes. I'm supposed to be working this morning."
"I don't know Missy, I think the roads are still pretty bad. Haven't heard a plow come down my way yet. You better ask your new roommate if the mall is gonna open at normal hours today."
"Hush!" I said. I heard a mechanical whir from behind the bathroom door, the familiar noise of a garage door lifting upwards. My belly somersaulted, and I felt a chill. Leo. Maybe he hadn't run off, after all. I suddenly felt completely stupid.
My heart beat wildly as I turned back towards the mirror, my face anxious frowning at my wide range of emotions. "I gotta run."
"I expect juicy details later," she told me. "Text me about what time the store's opening."
"Yeah, yeah," I said hurriedly. "Talk to you later."
I slid the phone back into my purse, then carried it from the bathroom, feeling out of place once again. It was like the power coming back had done something to me, made me feel more exposed than I had before, like it would accidentally reveal some wild truth to Leo. Perhaps he didn't think I was quite as amazing as he thought I was last night, after two bottles of wine, a cold blizzard, and a warm fire. Maybe I was just a warm body to snuggle up to.
I stood up straight, determined to fight through the insecurity and shame that clawed its way through my body. What was I expecting after last night? Marriage? I almost laughed at myself. It was just a hookup. Mature adults do this kind of thing all the time.
In the kitchen, Leo stood over the sink, running his hand under warm water. He wore his gray coat, a beanie and a frown. Timidly, I made my way over towards him. He looked up as I came by, those deep green eyes making their way directly through my body. My chest clenched involuntarily as I tried to think of what words meant.
"Hey," he said. "Sorry if I woke you." He looked down at my outfit and seemed slightly confused.
I crossed my arms. "You didn't," I said.
"I've been trying to dig us out," he told me, then lifted his hand from under the faucet. "Cut myself." There was a large gash across the back of his right hand, bleeding slowly.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice softening.
"Yep," he said, then looked behind him. "Can you just…look underneath the kitchen sink?" he asked me. "Think I left some gauze under there from last time I cut myself working in the kitchen."
I had to laugh as I started towards the cabinet underneath the sink. "So, you cut yourself often enough to keep gauze underneath the sink?"
He chuckled as I opened the cabinet, pulling out the First Aid Kit that was situated there. "Very funny."
"Well, if the shoe fits."
The banter was back, and I was both simultaneously glad for it, and wished it wasn't there. Somehow this proved I hadn't made all this up in my head. That somehow at least parts of last night were real. But I'd made up my mind in the bathroom. This was just a hookup. Nothing more. Pretending that it didn't happen was better.
Safer.
I couldn't handle being hurt right now. I concentrated on my task, bringing the gauze out of the kit, taking it to Leo at the sink. Cold radiated off of him, and I wondered how long he had been outside trying to dig us out.
"Here," I said, handing him a towel. He took it from me, drying his hands. I reached over him to close the water. Just a whiff of him, the scent of his body, was enough to pull me under into the memory of last night. Being so close to him, even beneath his thick coat. I knew what he looked like bare, what the most intimate parts of him tasted like.
I pulled away, pulling apart some of the gauze. I took his hand, but refused to look at him, instead looking at the gnarly cut he had on his hand, carefully wrapping the bandage around his skin. His hands were large, with crevices I hadn't explored, and never would. Still, they felt somehow familiar in my own hands, and I lingered longer than I needed to on wrapping his wound.
"There," I said, satisfied, securing the gauze with tape from the kit. I released his hand and looked up at him. He was a good foot taller than me, evident more now that we were standing, he in his boots, and me barefoot, as opposed to sitting in front of the fire last night. I blinked a few times, stuck on him, looking at his face, studying his expression.
He leaned in, but god damn it, I'd made a decision. And I was sticking to it. So I turned away and went to the window.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Leo
I longed for Missy's lips on mine again, her perfect soft skin beneath my fingers, a fistful of that messy red hair. I was dismayed to see she'd woken before I'd finished my task this morning, but was still glad to see the power and heat had returned.
This morning though, something was different. Her behavior, her reaction to me, her entire presence had changed. She seemed uncomfortable, off-put by me being so close. Just now, I'd wanted to taste her again. I'd dreamt about it all morning. Shit, it was the only thing that kept me going as I dragged the snow-blower across my driveway. I couldn't wait for the plows. I couldn't afford to take today off after closing down the mall early yesterday. I needed to get to work.
But as long as Missy was there, I wasn't in any kind of rush. Except, it seemed, she was.
She stood by the far window in the kitchen, looking out at the freshly plowed driveway. I'd managed to get down to the road far enough to get the truck out.
"Everything okay?" I asked, hating how needy and desperate it sounded coming out of my mouth.
"Fine," she said, rubbing her arm absentmindedly. That was it. The response was cold and far away. Nothing near what we'd had last night.
It scared me. I hadn't let anyone in my life for so long, let alone even attempt to be intimate with someone. Now what? Was I supposed to just let this go? Ignore how she made me feel last night, or right now? Just forget this ever happened?
"Missy…" I said, trailing off. My attempt at some sort of conversation, a plea for her to recognize that something happened last night.
"Listen, I know last night was stupid. Reckless."
I smiled at her use of the word. "It was great," I said, knowing that didn't cover nearly any of how I felt about it.
"It was foolish."
Well, she certainly wasn't sugar coating how she felt about things.
"I…have to get over to the mall," I said. The words were a defense mechanism. I wanted to tell her that I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to tell her that she was gorgeous and perfect and soft and wonderful, but none of that came out in my words.
Missy just nodded, looking at me over her shoulder. "I suppose we'll be expected at work for normal hours?"
I nodded, startled that this was our conversation. I wanted more to say. I wanted more to give her, some reassurance, a hand around her shoulder, but it just wasn't in my character. I could pack away what happened last night, but I couldn't deal with rejection or indifference. I was alone enough as it is. Something like that would distract me, and I didn't have time for it.
"I'll get my coat," she said, wandering towards the mud room. I watched her go, knowing I was a damn fool. I could go after her. I could chase her and beg her, call off work today and rip her clothes off and fuck her up against the kitchen island until she scream
ed. The ringing of my cell phone stomped the daydream dead and I tensed.
I can hear Missy in my mudroom, eager to get out of my house, away from me. Work was my whole life, that's what I told her last night. Missy's a distraction. She doesn't want this to be something. She couldn't even be bothered to look at me this morning. I can't handle that type of thing in my life. I don't have time for it. Success. Money. That's what I'd continue to focus on. At least I knew that wouldn't have a sudden change of heart.
I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Jesus Christ, Leo, where the fuck have you been?" I recognized her voice immediately. Virginia, my administrative assistant, who stays on my ass when I get out of line. I could hear her two kids screaming in the background.
"My power went out last night," I answered, quietly. For some reason, I wanted to hide this conversation from Missy. I turned my back to the mud room. "What's up?"
"What's up? What's up is I need to know if we're opening this morning, I've got voicemails from practically every manager in the mall." She was frantic, talking a mile a minute. "We opening or not? I got the kids home today and my husband's office lost power, so I can be there in a flash."
"Thanks Virginia," I said, rubbing my hand across my chin. "I'll be there in about an hour. We can plan on opening at ten, as usual."
"Great. I'll start my phone calls. I expect we'll have a boatload of call outs."
She hung up on me and I stuffed the phone in my pocket. When I turned, I saw Missy leaning against the doorframe, watching my every move. One of her eyebrows was raised, but she remained expressionless. I choked on my words.
"You ready?" I asked. "We're opening up the mall normal time."
"So I heard," she said.
"Okay," I said blandly, moving towards her to get my shoes. "I guess we should get going then."
"Sure." There was a bitterness behind her responses, and I didn't understand the anger. I didn't have time for it, in fact. If she wanted to be difficult, so be it. I couldn't worry about it.
