by Mia Sosa
“Oh, I’m just going to take a few for the website. You won’t even notice me.”
Daniel straightened. “Mimi, I’m not asking, I’m telling you. No pictures.”
She’d never heard him speak to anyone that way, his voice taut and his words clipped. They might as well have been strangers. All righty then. That was not what she’d expected from this impromptu outing. Served her right for showing up unannounced. “Fine.” She tossed her phone back in her purse and stood. “Sorry to interrupt.”
With too many sets of eyes watching her, she walked out the door and didn’t stop until she’d reached the bank of elevators outside the office. She didn’t wave good-bye to Felicia, either. How embarrassing.
She straightened at the sound of the elevator’s ding. Before she could escape, though, Daniel swung open the glass door to the office.
“Mimi, wait,” he said as he jogged toward her.
She turned and the elevator doors closed behind her. “Daniel, you’re busy. Don’t worry about me. We’ll talk later.” She smiled to show him that she was fine, though it would be more apt to say his outburst had confused her.
“I just want to explain. The girls. They come each year, and this isn’t about bringing business to the firm. It’s about giving back, and I don’t want to use what we do with them as a marketing tool.”
“Of course. That’s fine. I should have run it by you anyway. I didn’t know the firm did this, so I just figured I’d take a couple of shots and contact the girls’ parents for waivers later.”
“Let’s not, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll explain later.” He jerked a thumb toward the office. “For now, though, I’ve got to get back in there.”
“Sure, sure.”
Ask and ye shall receive, right? Well, she’d asked him to treat her no differently than anyone else when they were in the office. But being on the receiving end of that? Quite frankly, it sucked.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After the girls from Brigham left the firm, Daniel attended a marathon meeting to deal with a longtime client’s request to change the blueprints Daniel had drafted months ago. Despite his annoyance with the eleventh-hour revisions, he’d smiled through the conversation, never letting on that the additional work could have been avoided had the client agreed to Daniel’s initial suggestions.
After walking the client out, he returned to his office and texted Mimi.
Daniel: I’ve been working nonstop. This is the first chance I’ve had to get in touch with you. Can I see you?
Mimi: Sure. Come on over.
Her text gave him no insight into her mood. But if she was truly pissed, he reasoned, she wouldn’t have replied at all.
Twenty minutes later, he arrived at her doorstep, pressed the buzzer for her apartment, and texted her to let her know he was downstairs. Through the intercom, she simply said, “Come on up,” and buzzed him in. Again he wondered what could be going on in that head of hers.
After climbing the flight of stairs to her apartment, he found the door to her apartment ajar. “Mimi?”
She sat at the small desk adjacent to her kitchen, her gaze glued to her laptop computer. “I’ll just be a minute. A client just called me in a panic looking for talking points for an upcoming interview.”
He nodded. “Take your time.”
Meanwhile, he took a visual tour of her apartment. Bold colors—a mix of orange and red hues—covered the walls. Mimi’s furnishings, a hodgepodge of unique items reflecting her eclectic taste, lacked any pairs. In the corner, a lime green bookcase with irregular edges held as many magazines as it did books. If one were to stage a play based on a Dr. Seuss book, Mimi’s living room would serve as the perfect set.
“Okay,” she said as she rose from her chair. “All done.”
He turned in her direction and his brain short-circuited as he watched her approach. Damn. The silk sleepshirt she wore skimmed the tops of her thighs, and her breasts bounced as she sauntered over.
Explaining his behavior at the office had been his priority in coming here, but he doubted he’d be able to string two intelligent sentences together when she was dressed like that. And she was doing that sexy move with her tongue, where she pressed it against the corner of her mouth.
The room warmed by ten degrees when her hand flicked open the top button of her shirt. He swallowed and licked his lips. “Should I explain now or later?”
Another flick of a button. “Definitely later.”
His gaze narrowed and he gave her a wolfish grin. That’s what she did to him. Summoned his baser instincts whenever he could sense her arousal.
She gave him a coy smile in return. “My, what big…eyes you have.”
“The better to devour your beautiful body with.”
She stood before him and closed her eyes as she placed a hand on her neck and trailed it down the center of her shirt. Yet another flick of a button, and the smooth expanse of skin at her belly peeked through the opening in the fabric.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and slipped the shirt off, letting it drop to the ground. Backing up to get a better view of her, he slipped his own jacket off and loosened his tie. “You’re almost perfect, but you still have too many clothes on.”
Her eyes twinkling in amusement, she slid her panties down her legs and tossed them behind her. “Done. Now you.”
“My clothes stay on.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think I can waste any time taking them off. I want my mouth on you now.”
She shrugged. “Do what you must.”
He bridged the distance between them, spun her around, and moved her hair off her shoulder. Being inside her would come later, but the anticipation of it made his hands tremble. He rested his lips against the silky skin behind her ear, taking in the faint scent of vanilla.
She shivered.
“Cold?” he asked.
“So, so hot,” she whispered.
He snaked his hand around her waist and fanned his fingers over her belly. “You’re so fucking soft. I could suck on your skin all day.”
She rubbed her ass against his crotch. “That can be arranged.”
Smiling, he trailed his lips over one shoulder, then across the back of her neck and along her other shoulder. As he nuzzled her, he massaged her scalp with one hand, eliciting a low moan from her.
Wanting his mouth on hers, he turned her head to the side and brought their lips together. He ended the kiss with a gentle tug on her bottom lip, then he descended to her neck and nipped at it. She giggled under his assault, and he smiled against her skin. She made him happy. Full stop.
With his knees, he nudged her forward. “Kneel on the couch and don’t turn around.”
She did as he asked, and then he guided her hands to grasp the back of the couch. “Stay just like that, please.”
Her body swayed, evidencing her agitation. He loved that she was strung tight for him, that she was waiting for him to bring her pleasure. “You’re awfully quiet. I’m not used to this.”
“Enjoy it now. It won’t last.”
The humor in her voice touched him on some level he wasn’t ready to acknowledge. If she knew how much he craved her, she’d have a weapon whose blunt force could wipe him out with one strike. Better to keep it to himself for now.
He undid the top two buttons of his shirt as he rounded the couch. Her eyes widened at her first full sight of him in several minutes. He toed off his shoes and slipped off his socks, and then he used his arms to lift himself over the sofa back.
She snickered. “Show off.”
He slid his body in the space between her outstretched arms, gliding under her and landing on the floor with her pussy inches from his mouth.
“Shit,” she whispered. “You’re so freakin’ agile.”
“Comes in handy, no?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Now here’s what I need you to do,” he said as he massaged her ass. “You l
istening?”
“Yes, yes, I’m listening.” Her voice tightened on the last word. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. Just enjoy.”
She whimpered and his cock hardened at the sound.
He pressed openmouthed kisses on the insides of her thighs as he breathed her in. The smell of her arousal drew his lips closer to her mound, his brain commanding him to taste her. With a firm hold on her ass, he centered her above his mouth and licked his way up her slit, until he reached her swollen clit and grazed it with his teeth.
Her head fell forward, her hair creating an intimate space where he could focus on her pussy and nothing else. Over and over he licked and sucked, pulling her close and steadying her with his face when she threatened to collapse under the onslaught.
“Daniel, that feels so fucking good, you have no idea.”
Her unbridled encouragement fed his lust, turning on his beast-mode switch. His lazy strokes turned feral, and her cries grew louder. Once he’d established a rhythm, she circled her hips against him and grasped his hair with one hand, controlling the pleasure his mouth provided.
Her lips parted on a gasp when he captured her nub. “Yes, Daniel. I’m going to come. I’m so close. Lick me and don’t stop.”
So he didn’t, and seconds later, she tightened her thighs against his face and cried out. He continued to lick her as she came down from the high, and she whimpered in protest.
She rose off him in a languid stupor as he wiped his face.
“Too much?” he asked.
She stood on shaky legs and lowered herself to the floor, straddling him in one smooth move. “Too perfect.” She stared into his eyes as she unbuckled his belt and pulled it out of his pant loops. “Now you.”
“Now us.”
She unzipped his slacks. “Now us.”
He lifted his ass off the floor and helped her tug his pants and briefs to the middle of his thighs. She stroked his cock, her soft hands assertive and strong and fisting him perfectly.
“Fuck, woman. That feels incredible.”
He could feel the pressure building in the base of his dick already, but it was way too soon for that. Tugging her chest closer to his, he spoke against her neck. “Slow down, baby. I don’t want to come yet.”
He pulled a condom from his pocket and handed it to her. She quickly dispensed with the packaging and rolled the latex over him. Then she positioned her pussy over his cock. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his and sank down.
They rocked together for what seemed like ages, content to be connected without a quick ending. He toyed with her breasts as he sucked on her skin, and she alternated between caressing and grabbing his shoulders each time she came down on his dick.
Had he ever experienced pleasure this intense? Only with her. Unable to take her slow torture any longer, he cupped her ass and lifted her up and down his length until they both came with a shout.
She collapsed against him and wrapped hers arms around his neck. “Well, hello there.”
Only then did he remember he had an explanation to give her.
* * *
Mimi faced Daniel as they lay on the couch. He’d propped his elbow and rested his head on his hand. With his other hand, he drew lazy circles on her back. As far as she was concerned, this was where they’d be sleeping tonight. If he chose to stay, that is. She wanted him to, though she wasn’t sure how to ask without sounding silly.
“We should talk about what went down at the office,” he said. “I need to explain.”
She stiffened at the memory of how he’d called her out in front of everyone. On the way home, she’d twisted and tortured the moment until it barely resembled the original. That wasn’t fair to him, particularly because she’d asked him to treat her no differently than he would anyone else he worked with. So she was curious to hear his explanation, but she’d already decided not to get upset about it. “Okay. Explain.”
“Pamela was a teacher at Brigham.”
It all clicked into place with that single statement. “The girls are your connection to her.”
“In a way, yes. They weren’t her students, but she taught at that school. So when they come, I feel like I’m honoring her. Remembering my sister even though my parents refuse to talk about her. And when you tried to take a photo, it felt like a violation even though I know that’s not what you intended.”
She shook her head. “Definitely not what I’d intended.”
“I’m sorry I raised my voice.”
She gave him a wicked grin. “It kind of turned me on. It’s such a rare thing.”
He stopped stroking her back and peered at her. “It didn’t turn you on.”
She sighed. “You’re right. It didn’t.”
He pulled her closer and she reveled in his warmth. His body’s capacity to calm her was as effective as its capacity to excite her. Moments ago she’d ground herself against his powerful thighs and met him thrust for thrust. Now she lay wrapped in his arms, feeling safe and protected with his hard chest pressed against her breasts.
“It won’t happen again,” he murmured against her hair.
She appreciated the promise, though she didn’t need it. It was enough that they’d been able to talk about his reaction. His feelings about his sister’s death were complicated and still raw, even after all these years, and she wanted to give him a safe space to discuss them. “Have you ever thought of naming a scholarship after Pamela? You talked about wanting to honor her, and that would be one way to do it.”
“Never thought of that.”
“You could award a college scholarship to one of the girls at Brigham. Or some other scholarship depending on the student’s needs.”
He stared at a point behind her, his face pensive, and then he gave her a soft peck on her lips. “I like the idea of that. I’ll definitely look into it, but I wouldn’t want to publicize it.”
“That’s your call, of course.” She kissed one of his biceps and rested her head on it. “Thanks for sharing with me.”
He cradled her face and brought his lips to hers. “Thanks for being you.”
Fuck it. I’m going for it. She tamped down the butterflies in her belly and gave him a saucy smile. “Care to retire to my boudoir?”
“Are you asking me to stay the night?”
“I am.”
He rose from the couch and pulled her up against him. “For the chance to sink into you first thing in the morning, the answer is hell yes.”
With that out the way, she crouched on the floor and began to gather their discarded clothes in a pile.
He rounded the couch in search of his socks and shoes. “Can I take you to an early dinner Saturday? I have plans in the evening.”
“I’d love to go to dinner with you, but I have my own plans Saturday. I scheduled a spa day and then I’m meeting the girls for dinner. We’ll end the night at Decadence. We could meet there.”
“The one in Georgetown?”
“That’s the one.”
“Who are you going with?”
“Let’s see. Gracie and Ethan. Karen and Mark. Oh, and my friend from work, Nina.”
“Not a good idea, I don’t think, given that I’m your…”
She stopped searching for her thong. “My what?”
“Your dirty secret,” he whispered. In his normal voice, he said, “Plus, I promised Amar I’d hang out with him.”
“Why don’t you bring him with you? It’ll be fun.”
He cocked his head. “Because he’s your client, and because you don’t want any of the guys to know we’re together, remember?”
She stopped gathering her clothes and stood in the middle of the room. “Yes, I remember.” She glanced at him once and then resumed her search for her underwear. “Found it,” she said, twirling her thong in the air. “I have an idea about that, though.”
“Should I be scared?”
She dropped her underwear on top of the pile and snuggled into his chest. “No, yo
u shouldn’t be scared. Bring Amar to Decadence anyway. You and I will be cordial. You can watch me on the dance floor. I won’t dance with anyone, I promise. And it’ll be this sexy secret between us. You’ll know that I’ll be in your bed by the end of the night.”
“And when some jackass makes a move on you, I’m supposed to do what? Watch and do nothing? No, thank you. As tempting as that offer is, and yes, I’m being sarcastic here, I think I’ll pass.”
She pouted. “I understand. And now that I’ve said it out loud, it does seem like a stupid idea. I’d kiss you, but my foot is lodged in my throat.”
He kissed her anyway. “You’re forgiven.” When he pulled back, he pinned her with an intense stare and a salacious grin. Placing her hand on his cock, he said, “Dislodge the foot. I have plans for your throat tonight.”
She should have been happy that he was so understanding, but she couldn’t ignore the obvious: He wasn’t going to Decadence because she didn’t want anyone to know about them. And though her feelings for him were growing each day, she couldn’t shut off the part of her brain that told her their relationship could sour at any moment. So no, she wasn’t ready to tell anyone about them. Not yet. And maybe never.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
After a grueling remainder of the week, Saturday could not have come soon enough for Mimi. Club Decadence was just the antidote she needed to put it all behind her, but she wasn’t having as good a time as she’d expected.
She took a sip of her cocktail and placed the glass on the table. “I need to check my makeup. It feels like it’s sliding off my face.”
Karen rose from her spot next to Mark. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah. I’m fine. Only one drink to my name tonight. Be back in five.”
She squeezed her way through the throng and grimaced when the bottoms of her shoes met a patch of sticky fluid on the dance floor. Great. Now she had to clean up her favorite stilettos, too. She grumbled the entire way to the bathroom, unsure why her brain exploded at even the most minor inconvenience.
After patting her face with a napkin—yes, her makeup had in fact glided off her face—she wiped the bottoms of her shoes and readjusted her boobs in the pushup bra that revealed not only Victoria’s secrets, but hers, too.
