by Ward, Alice
Asher nodded and we crossed back to the elevators.
“I’m a little surprised you’re on the ground floor,” I observed, following him into the car. “Don’t most CEOs like to stay at the very top of their buildings?”
“The ones who need to show they’re king of the mountain do,” Asher agreed. “But I like the easy access of the ground floor. I have a private entrance and park right outside my door. I can come and go whenever I want without anyone in the building knowing what I’m up to.”
The elevator opened into the lobby again; Asher stepped out and turned to the right. I followed and he pushed open a solid steel door. Linoleum transitioned to plush carpet as we stepped inside Asher’s office.
The room was huge; a dozen of my potential offices would have fit in the space easily. Built in bookcases filled the back wall and a sharp angled modern desk sat in front of them. Unlike most business men, Asher had no chairs opposite his desk. Instead, a leather couch sat a few feet in front of it facing the other wall. Six flat screens were mounted on the wall, and four gaming chairs sat in front of the couch.
“Take a seat,” he insisted. He steadied one of the chairs and I slid down onto it, planting my feet on the floor in front of me. Asher pushed the front row of chairs to the side and settled down on the one beside me.
“Have you ever used the system?” he asked.
“No,” I confessed. “I’ve never really been much of a gamer.”
“No problem; it’s pretty user friendly. And this is a very rough cut game, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you’d be doing here. I stripped down our basic driving simulator and redid it as a walking tour with graphics from your portfolio. Just rock your chair whichever direction you want to turn, and use the break button mounted on the left side when you want to stand still.”
“You put my portfolio into a game?” I was shocked he’d gone to the trouble.
“Like I said, I wanted to show you what you’d be doing. Put this on and take a look.” He passed me what looked like a full faced motorcycle helmet. I took a deep breath and pulled it over my head.
“Okay Lauren, just lean back in the chair to engage the game.”
I did as Asher instructed and suddenly, I was emerged in a world of my own creation. I recognized the cobblestone path from a marketing piece I’d designed for the bed and breakfast. I rocked forward in the chair, amazed by my surroundings. My vivid, abstract trees seemed to wave in the breeze, storefronts I’d designed were overflowing with customers, and abstract flowers blew down the street in place of tumbleweeds. Everything was three-dimensional; if it hadn’t been for the distorted trees and flowers, I’d have been convinced I was on an actual cobblestone street.
“This is amazing,” I told Asher. “I can’t believe you put this together so quickly.”
“I just plugged your work into one of our existing programs. I like both of your styles, Lauren. Your commercial stuff is clean and sophisticated. Your artistic stuff is downright whimsical. I like the effect of mixing them together. And I can’t wait to see what you can do when we turn you loose on a project.”
The only reason I left my magical world was because Asher hadn’t added himself to it. I pulled off the helmet and turned to face him.
“You’ve definitely sold me on the job. I think this could be a lot of fun. But I assume there’s some sort of contract?”
He nodded. “Yes, I have one ready for you.”
“I feel like I should have Kennedy look it over. If I don’t, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
Asher’s eyes lit up. “You’re accepting the job?”
I felt my eyes light up too. “Yes, I think I am.”
“Then I think I’m going to break my own rule just this once,” he announced, rising to his feet. He took me by the hands and lifted me to face him. I held his head in my hands, my fingers running through his soft hair. Then he dropped his lips to mine. His mouth was sweet and tender, and I felt myself melt at his touch. I lightly nibbled his top lip before pulling away from him.
“I’ll need time to learn your software,” I warned.
“Rachel will go over it with you when you start. It’s easy to learn,” he promised.
I looked up at him again and spoke without thinking.
“I want to go home with you tonight, Asher.”
“Wasn’t that the plan all along?” he asked, leaning in for another kiss. His lips brushed against mine and I gasped with desire.
“No, Ash… I want you to take me home.”
Asher dropped his hands to my waist and leaned back a little, staring down into my lust filled eyes.
“What happened to taking things slow?” he whispered.
I shook my head and pushed his hair back from his forehead before tracing a finger down his cheek. “In so many ways, I feel like I’ve known you a lifetime.”
It was true. Asher and I had spent the entire weekend together, talking and learning about each other. I knew how he liked his coffee, his favorite teacher from elementary school, and how many times he’d applied at Microsoft before he gave up and started developing his own products. And I knew that I felt at peace in his arms.
“I feel the same way,” he agreed. “But I’m not taking you home tonight, Lauren. Not like that.”
I was shocked and a little hurt he’d turned me down. I knew my disappointment was hypocritical; I’d come up with the ‘take things slow’ plan. I had no right to be upset with him for holding to it.
“Lauren, trust me. I’d love nothing more than to stretch you across this couch and make love to you. But I think you had some valid reasons when you suggested we take things slowly. I don’t want either of us to look back and wonder if we’d have stuck with the original plan if I hadn’t offered you the job.”
I knew he had a point. I was grateful for the job and what I knew had to be a pretty impressive salary. But I couldn’t show that gratitude by jumping into bed with him.
“You’re a good man, Asher Reynolds,” I said, nuzzling my face into his neck. I kissed him softly just behind his earlobe and pulled away again.
“I want to be good, for you,” he replied. He kissed the top of my forehead and then pulled me toward the door.
“Come on, it’s getting late. And I have to be back here early in the morning for another conference call. I’ll email a copy of your contract to Kennedy first thing in the morning. For now, why don’t we go back to my place and test the limits of my resolve?”
***
“So, how was your first week on the job?” Kennedy greeted me when I answered her call.
“It’s been fantastic and miserable, all at the same time,” I confessed.
“Okay, tell me all about it.”
The week before, Kennedy had gone over my contract and encouraged me to take the position at Asher’s company. She assured me that if he and I were meant to be, working together wouldn’t be a problem.
“Asher had to fly to Denmark early Monday morning,” I explained. “He’s still there, which completely sucks. And as I’d expected, plenty of my new coworkers are acting like I cheated them out of what was rightfully theirs.”
“They’ll get over that the moment they see your work,” Kennedy assured me. “When is Asher supposed to get home?”
“Sometime tomorrow,” I told her. “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed him. I can’t believe how fast this has all happened. A month ago, I’d never even heard of the man. Suddenly, I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“That’s usually how it happens,” Kennedy agreed and I could hear the wistful smile on her lips. “Lauren, are you absolutely sure you can trust Asher?”
I was confused by the sudden seriousness of her tone. “What makes you ask that?”
“It’s just… well, it’s strange, the way he’s managed to keep himself almost completely off the internet. I asked Jackson about it, and he says that’s nearly impossible to do and it costs a lot of money. And since I thought it was a lit
tle fishy, I dug a little deeper.”
“You can stop right there, Kennedy,” I insisted. “Look, I appreciate you wanting to look out for me. But if I’d wanted you to run a background check on my boyfriend, I’d have asked. Asher has his reasons for wanting privacy. I’d think you of all people would understand that.”
“I do,” she agreed. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Did you find anything that would make you think I’m in immediate physical danger?”
“No,” she replied softly.
“That’s all I need to know. Kennedy, I’m not naïve. I know there’s still plenty I don’t know about Asher. But he opens up more and more to me every time we’re together. I trust him to tell me what I need to know.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “So, this Rachel woman who works above you. She’s one of Asher’s friends?”
“Yes and she’s incredibly nice, at least to my face. I’m not sure exactly how she and Asher know each other, but they seem to go back a long time.”
“You’re sure she’s not one of his ex’s?”
“I’m positive. Rachel’s a lesbian. She and Asher act more like brother and sister than anything else. She’s incredibly talented too. She’s a little standoffish, but I think she’s just shy. Have you heard any news on the San Francisco resort?”
“We’ll definitely be in sometime in October to look at properties,” she replied. “Mom and Jack are coming with us. They both said to tell you hi and they miss you.”
“Tell them the same from me. I’m glad you’re all coming in. I should be moved in to the townhouse by the time you get here, so you’re all welcome to stay with me.”
I knew there was no way they’d take me up on the offer, which made it much easier to make it.
“You know Jackson has a thing for hotel beds,” she replied with a laugh. “But we’re definitely going to want to meet Asher. I’ll let you know when we have our exact dates so we can start making plans.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. I heard my call waiting beep and pulled my phone away from my face. I was surprised to see Asher’s number on my screen.
“Kennedy, I need to go. I’ll talk to you soon,” I promised.
“Tell him I said hi,” she teased. “Love you, Lauren.”
“Love you too.”
I swiped my screen, switching to Asher’s line. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until tomorrow.”
“I have a surprise for you,” he replied, his voice soft and sweet. “I flew home a day early.”
“You’re home?”
“I just pulled up to the house. Want to come over?”
“Of course I do. I need to take a quick shower. I’ll head your way as soon as I can.”
“I’ll have dinner waiting when you get here,” he promised. “I missed you, Lauren.”
“I missed you too, Ash.”
***
I drove the now familiar route to Asher’s house in record time. When I pulled up the driveway, I spotted him waiting on the front porch. He took the steps two at a time and reached my car just as I killed the engine. I unbuckled my seatbelt and he opened my door, pulling me into his arms.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said, lifting my feet off the ground. He found my lips with his and kissed me hungrily. Sparks of desire raced through my body and I no longer felt the need to take anything slowly. I wrapped my legs around Asher’s waist and he gripped my ass in his hands.
“If I’d known I was going to get this kind of greeting, I’d have come home sooner,” he teased, stumbling toward the door. He sat me on my feet and we walked arm in arm up the stairs and into the house. The kitchen smelled like a gourmet restaurant and a large arrangement of fresh lilies sat on the island.
“For you,” Asher told me, gesturing to the flowers. “Dinner isn’t anything fancy, just a lasagna I had in the freezer. It’ll be ready in about half an hour. Why don’t I pour us each a glass of wine and you can tell me about your first week on the job? I hated having to leave town. Did Rachel help you get settled in okay?”
“She did,” I assured him, taking a seat on a barstool. “She was great, actually. Everyone else seemed surprised to meet me, to say the least. They haven’t been the warmest group of people, but I can’t say I blame them.”
“They’ll all loosen up once they see what you’re capable of,” he assured me. He pulled a bottle of Merlot from the wine rack, popped the cork, and poured two glasses.
“To your first week,” he said, lifting his wine.
“To you being home,” I added, lifting mine. I took a short sip of the dry wine and sat my glass on the counter. Asher moved in front of me and took me in his arms again.
“I brought you a few surprises from Denmark,” he whispered. “Nothing fancy, just a few things that made me think of you.”
He pulled away and sat a small gift bag on the table. “Go ahead, open it,” he insisted.
Inside the bag, I found a small bracelet with hand carved wooden beads, a tin of gourmet peach candies, and a bottle of perfume that smelled like fresh ocean air. Everything in the bag was me, and I’d never felt so noticed and appreciated.
“I love it all,” I told Asher.
He rocked nervously from foot to foot. “You’re sure? I know it’s probably not what you were expecting. I’m sure Jackson showers Kennedy with expensive…”
I put a hand on his chest to silence him. “I’m not trying to compete with anyone else’s relationship, Ash. I don’t need expensive gifts. You know what these tell me? They tell me that you listen to what I say. You remembered that peaches are my favorite and that I missed the smell of the ocean when I was away at college. You noticed that I looked at a bracelet similar to this one when we went to the arts festival. And all of that’s worth more than all of the money in the world.”
I slipped a hand behind his head and pulled him to my face. I gave him three short, sweet kisses and then pulled away again.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Ash,” I confessed. It was the first time I’d ever said the L word without hearing it first, but nothing had ever felt so natural.
His eyes softened. “I’ve been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you.” He kissed me again, this time with hunger and urgency. Our tongues danced together and he lifted me off the stool. I wrapped my legs around his waist again and stared into his eyes.
“Take me to bed, Asher,” I whispered.
“Gladly,” he replied, diving for my neck. He traced a teasing trail from my collarbone to my ear, then planted another long kiss on my lips before setting off for the master bedroom. The door was open and Asher collapsed backwards onto the king sized mattress, sliding up to the headboard. I straddled his lap, covering his face and neck with kisses. He dropped his hands to the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head, revealing my sexy black lace bra.
“You are so beautiful,” he moaned, diving for my breasts. He forced the bra cups down and teased my left nipple with his mouth while pinching the right between two fingers. I felt myself gush wet between my legs and I reached down to unbutton my jeans. Asher covered my hands with his and flipped me onto my back.
“Let me.”
Asher kissed my neck, then my collarbone, then my navel. He planted a final, teasing kiss just above my waistband and then slowly unbuttoned my jeans. I lifted my hips from the bed and he gently pulled the pants down my legs. He tossed them to the floor and I laid before him in just my bra and panties. I was happy that they matched.
“So beautiful,” he whispered again. He pushed my legs open and dropped his head between them. He kissed the inside of my right thigh, then my left. He traced his fingers around the outline of my panties and licked me through the lace fabric. I cried out with passion, begging for more.
“You want more, baby?” he whispered back to me.
“Yes,” I groaned as he licked me again.
Instead of pulling down my panties, Asher slipped two fingers under the lac
e. He pushed them inside me, moving with slow, circular strokes as I squirmed beneath him. Asher lifted his head back to mine and kissed my neck.
“You like that, baby?” he whispered, increasing the speed and pressure of his touch.
“Yes,” I groaned again. “That feels so… good.”
“Want me to make it feel even better?”
“Yes,” I gasped again.
I didn’t wait for Asher to make his next move. Instead, I lifted my hips and slid off my panties. I let my legs fall open and gingerly pushed Asher’s head down.
“Mmm,” he groaned, licking my stomach on his way down. “Assertive. I like that. Is this what you want, baby?” he asked.
Asher plunged his rigid tongue deep inside me and pinched my clit between two fingers. He alternated plunging, licking, and nibbling, until I could hardly tell where his mouth ended and his fingers began. I pulled off my bra and pinched my nipples as Asher teased me to ecstasy. My orgasm started softly, with waves of pleasure radiating from the place where Asher’s tongue met my clit. He swirled his fingers inside me as the waves overtook my body, rocketing me to a level of pleasure I’d never known before. Asher kept licking me as I came, until I felt as if one more touch would ruin me. I pulled his head roughly up to mine and plunged my tongue into his mouth. He tasted salty and musky, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
“You like the taste of yourself, baby?” he asked, thrusting his still covered erection against my bare hip.
“I like it on you,” I whispered back to him.
“Oh God, Lauren,” he groaned.
I fumbled with the hem of Asher’s shirt. He rose to his knees and pulled it over his head, adding it to my pile on the floor. I sat up, unbuttoned his slacks, and pushed them to his knees. His long, thick cock popped out of the fly of his boxers, and I pushed those out of the way as well.
“Oh Lauren,” Asher groaned again as I took him into my mouth. I held his balls in one hand and ran the other up and down his shaft as I teased the head with my tongue.
“That feels so good, baby,” he whispered. He ran his fingers through my hair as I took him deep into my throat. He throbbed in my hand and I longed to finally have him inside me.
