Chasing Bad Boys 7_A Bad Boy Romance Series

by Kylie Parker

  Just before she reached the edge, she saw Chris appear in the doorway, a grim expression on his face. Stephanie tried to push herself over the edge in spite of it, but her concern quickly drowned out her pleasure. She cursed herself mentally, but she took her hands away from herself and sat up on the bed to look at him.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him, her brows meeting in a frown.

  “Just a mess I have to clean up,” Chris said solemnly, crossing his arms as he moved to lean against the doorframe.

  “Oh,” Stephanie blinked. Chris looked back at her and gave her a barely detectable smile.

  “I should go,” she said softly, and stood up from the bed, gathering up her dress and her undergarments from the floor where they had been scattered the night before.

  Chris moved over to help her and handed her the dress.

  “I’m sorry,” Chris said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have started anything if I had known…”

  “It’s alright,” Stephanie dismissed him with a small smile and began the process of putting her clothes back on.

  Chris said nothing else as Stephanie finished getting dressed. He then walked her through the house and to the kitchen, and then out to the garage.

  When she was beside her car, Stephanie looked back at him.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked, looking over at him, feeling more than a little awkward.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Chris gave her a grim smile. “I think I can get it all worked out on my own.”

  “Okay,” Stephanie nodded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I’ll see you at the office then?”

  “Of course,” Chris gave her a small smile, though it didn’t quite touch his eyes.

  Stephanie smiled back and then got in her car. She turned on the car, and waited for the garage door to open behind her, then pulled out into the driveway and headed for the road back into the city. She wondered what the phone call had been about, and she had a nagging, bad feeling about it.

  On top of the bad feelings about the phone call, Stephanie could not ignore the way that her body was aching. Chris had effectively worked her into a state of deep longing, and she had only compounded her state with her own touch. She had half a mind to pull over right there and then and satisfy herself. She glanced over at the clock on her dashboard and growled to herself. There was certainly not enough time for a roadside detour if she intended to get a shower before work.

  So, Stephanie continued her drive and made it back to her apartment. She parked the car and headed into the building and up the elevator until she arrived at her floor. She promptly moved over to the door of her apartment and unlocked the door, moving into her dwelling. She hastily moved into the bathroom and turned on the water, allowing it to warm up as she took off her clothes and tossed them in the hamper.

  She got in her shower and adjusted the temperature of the water to her liking, then began the process of washing her hair and cleaning her body. All the while, the water washed over her sensitive skin, and it was all she could do to keep from touching herself. She reminded herself, though, that she was quite short on time, and that if she succumbed to that desire, she would certainly be late.

  More than that simple fact, though, Stephanie was still incredibly curious about the contents of the phone call that Chris had received when she was in his home earlier that morning. He had seemed quite solemn, and she knew that it was likely a large issue if it had served to deflate his mood in such a way. She was eager to get back into the office and hopefully find out what had transpired in the phone call.

  So, Stephanie hastened to rinse the soap off of her body, allowing a delicious shudder to pass through her body as she finished her shower, and then turned off the water. She gathered up a towel and dried her body, then wrapped up her hair. She selected an outfit for the day, a pair of gray slacks and a dark green blouse, and then a pair of matching black underwear. She settled on a pair of black flats as well. She went through the process of drying her hair and fixing it into gentle waves that fell down over her shoulders. She then brushed on a light layer of makeup, applied some deodorant and a splash of perfume.

  She appraised herself in the mirror and decided that she was satisfied with her appearance. She stepped out of her room and gathered up her purse, then headed back down the elevator to the parking garage. Once she was securely in the driver’s seat, she headed off toward the office. It did not take her long to get there, and she parked in an open space, and then headed into the building.

  Chapter Sixteen

  She was greeted by various coworkers as she headed for Chris’s door. She was surprised to see him already there and at work when she entered the room. He looked up at her, and she was concerned by the dark expression on his face. She was also made acutely aware of the desire that was still running potently through her veins.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, setting her things down on her desk.

  “Not by a long shot,” Chris sighed and ran a hand over his face. He looked haggard, and he seemed to have aged by several years in the short time since she had last seen him.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Stephanie asked, her concern for him rising up to overshadow her other emotions and desires.

  “Not at the moment,” Chris shook his head and frowned.

  Stephanie furrowed her brow, at a loss for what to do. She glanced over at the coffee machine and saw that it had not been turned on. She was grateful that she could at least remedy that situation. She set the coffee to brew, and when it was done, she fixed him a cup the way he liked it and brought it over to his desk.

  “Thank you,” Chris looked up at her and offered her a small smile.

  “Of course,” Stephanie smiled back and started to move back toward her own desk.

  “I’m really sorry about this morning,” Chris said, and Stephanie stopped in her tracks, turning back to face him.

  “I would never have started anything if I didn’t intend to finish it,” he said, and sincerity shone plainly in his eyes.

  “It’s alright,” Stephanie said honestly. “I know that these things come up, and we have no control over them.”

  “I’m glad you’re able to be so professional about this,” Chris said, the relief evident on his face.

  Stephanie wished that she didn’t have to be professional. A large part of her wanted to shove all his papers off his desk and bend over it and demand that he make love to her right then and there. She reminded herself, though, that although they had been intimate, he was still her boss, and this was her place of employment, not his bedroom.

  “Of course,” Stephanie gave him a smile, and then moved over to the coffee machine to fix her own cup.

  Stephanie moved over to her desk and sipped at her drink, waiting patiently for any command that he might give her. For quite a while, though, he was intent on taking care of things himself. Often, he stepped out of the room onto the balcony on the phone, where she would watch him pace up and down in aggravation and run his hand through his hair. Soon, he took off his jacket and tie as well.

  Each time he returned to the office, his expression was more and grimmer. Stephanie was becoming increasingly worried as well. When it reached lunchtime, and he had not mentioned any kind of meal to her, she decided to remind him.

  “Sir?” she spoke up, causing him to look up distractedly from the stack of papers that he had been rifling through.

  “Yes?” he asked, and she could tell that he was working hard to keep the edge of irritation out of his voice.

  “It’s about time for lunch,” Stephanie said gently. “I really think you should eat something.”

  Chris frowned, seeming more than a little confused by her words.

  “I guess it is…” he said distractedly. “Would you mind going to fetch something for me? I’m pretty wrapped up here.”

  “Of course,” Stephanie nodded. “Anything in particular you want?”

  “I’m sure
anything you pick up will be good enough for me,” Chris said and offered her a smile.

  “Alright,” Stephanie smiled in return. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Alright,” Chris nodded, already looking back down at a handful of papers. “And thank you.”

  Without another word, Stephanie turned and made her way out of the office. She left the building and opted to walk down the street rather than take her car. She knew that it would take longer to drive anyway during the lunch rush. She decided on a small deli close to the building. She ordered them two sandwiches and then headed back to the office.

  She also used the walk to take advantage of the fresh air. Her day had been frustrating for a great many reasons. Not the least of which was the nagging need that was pulsing between her legs. It certainly didn’t help that she was constantly in such close proximity to the man she wanted. She had nearly gone to relieve herself in the bathroom there at several points, but she had resisted the temptation, wanting to be available if Chris suddenly needed her for anything.

  It did not take her long to fetch the sandwiches and return to her place in the office with Chris. She had hoped that things would have settled down by the time she returned, but it seemed that they had only gotten worse. Chris’s hair was completely disheveled, and he was scowling as he hung up his cell phone and tossed it down onto his desk. He ran his hands over his face and looked up grimly as Stephanie crossed the room to place his sandwich on the desk before him.

  “Thank you,” he said, his pent up frustration evident in his voice as he opened up the packaging of his sandwich and took the first bite of it.

  “You look awful,” Stephanie said, her tone pitying. Chris grunted his agreement.

  “Thanks,” he said wryly and gave her a small smile. “I’m just not having a lot of luck cleaning up this mess.”

  “I’m sorry,” Stephanie offered as she bit into her own sandwich and chewed on her first bite.

  “It’s not your fault,” Chris sighed and blinked tiredly. “I got myself into this mess. As usual.”

  Stephanie offered him a grim smile.

  “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do?” Stephanie asked. “Anything at all?”

  Chris shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

  “I really don’t think so…” he said, seeming to think. A light crept into his eyes.

  “Actually…” he said. “There might be one thing. Let me make a quick phone call.”

  Stephanie perked up and nodded, eager to hear the prospect of finally being of some help to her employer. She waited patiently as Chris one again stepped out onto the balcony and made a phone call. She waited anxiously as he conducted the call, and she looked up at him eagerly as he came back into the room.

  “Alright, here’s what I need you to do,” Chris said as he sat back down at his desk. “I need you to take this file to this address. Once you’re there, give your name to the receptionist, and they should take care of you from there. Can you do that for me?”

  Stephanie’s first impulse was to simply nod, so much was her excitement to actually be helpful. But she paused for a moment as she recognized that she had no idea what she was being sent to do.

  “And…” Stephanie started hesitantly. “What am I doing there, exactly?”

  “It should all be in the file,” he explained quickly. “You should just hand it to him, and he’ll be able to sort out the rest.”

  Stephanie frowned and made to open the file.

  “Don’t open it,” Chris said quickly, his tone almost scolding. “There is some private information in there.”

  Stephanie felt embarrassed and a little hurt to be so hastily rebuffed, but she nodded all the same.

  “Should I go now?” she asked softly.

  “Yes,” Chris nodded immediately. “And take your car. Just type in the address and it will take you to the office. It’s too long of a way to walk.”

  “Okay,” Stephanie nodded and stood up.

  “See if you can convince him to set up a meeting with me in person,” he instructed her. “He can be a tough nut to crack. But I think you will be able to bring him around.”

  Stephanie was beginning to get a strange feeling about her task. In the end, though, she had asked to do something, and he had given her something to do, so she could hardly complain.

  “I’ll do my best,” Stephanie said shortly and turned toward the door.

  “Stephanie,” Chris called from behind her, and she turned to face him.

  “Thank you,” he said softly, a grateful smile on his face. “I know it’s been a weird day, but I’m glad you’ve been here all the same. I know you’ll be able to work this out.”

  Stephanie felt herself blush furiously, and she felt her body respond to his soft words as well, wetness pooling once again between her legs.

  “I won’t disappoint you,” Stephanie said sincerely, and then left the room.

  She headed out of the building and back toward the parking garage. She got in her car and typed the address she had been given into the navigation system. As always, it immediately began to give her verbal directions, and she pulled out of the parking lot. Stephanie couldn’t help but be a little aggravated as she was immediately caught in traffic. Still, there was little she could do but endure it as the navigator helped her through the city.

  The going was slow, but the navigator eventually led her toward the other side of the city. Even as slow as the traffic was going, Stephanie had to concede that it would have been slower by far if she had tried to walk the distance. She supposed she could have taken the subway, but there was no telling how long that might have taken as well.

  Finally, after what felt like ages, the navigator announced that they had arrived at her destination. She quickly found the parking garage of the large building and hastened to find a place to park. Once she had parked the car, she gathered up her purse and the file and made her way toward the entrance of the building.

  Stephanie felt her anxiety mount as she entered a building that was much busier than her own. People bustled around in suits, seeming to be exceedingly busy and in an incredible hurry. She had to move quickly to keep up with the people moving around her, and it was with great relief that she finally found the desk of a receptionist, though there was a line of two people ahead of her.

  Stephanie waited patiently, and some time later, it was finally her turn to be seen by the receptionist.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “How can I help you?” the receptionist, an older woman with salt and pepper hair looked up her.

  “Yes,” Stephanie answered. “My name is Stephanie Roberson; I’ve been sent over by Senator Skii.”

  The receptionist typed into the computer for a moment and squinted into the screen.

  “Yes, there you are,” the woman looked back up at Stephanie with a smile. “We’ve been expecting you. Go ahead to the elevator and take it to the top floor. Meet up with Ian at the desk and he’ll take care of you from there.”

  “Thank you,” Stephanie said, and the woman gave her a short smile before turning her attention to the next person in line.

  Stephanie stepped away from the desk and moved over toward the elevator. Other people filed in with her and she barely had time to press the button for the top floor before the elevator became so crowded that she could barely move. Stephanie had to work hard to keep a calm and secure demeanor, even as she felt herself becoming more and more crowded by the other people in the elevator.

  The elevator slowly but surely made its way up. It stopped on every single floor, taking the time to let various people on and off. Stephanie vaguely wondered if she would ever reach her destination. As she neared the top floor, though, the crowd within the elevator began to thin out, and she found that she could breathe quite a bit easier without the dense crowd around her.

  When the elevator, at last, reached the top floor, Stephanie stepped out with a few other people. She took a deep breath and gathered up he
r scattered nerves, and then looked at the floor. There was not much to the floor, just a long hallway with few doors, and a desk at the front. At the desk was seated a younger man, and Stephanie presumed that he was the Ian she was supposed to speak to.

  Stephanie crossed the short distance to the desk.

  “May I help you?” the young man looked up at her with a pleasant smile.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “My name is Stephanie Roberson; I was sent over here by Senator Skii.”

  “Oh, wonderful,” Ian said, moving to stand up. “We’ve been expecting you for some time.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Stephanie noted.

  “Well, you’re here now, and that’s what’s important,” Ian said, and Stephanie noted that his tone was almost excessively bright and cheery.

  Stephanie followed him as he led her down to the very end of the hall. He knocked on the door, and through the door, they both heard a clipped ‘come in’ from the voice inside. Stephanie vaguely noted that the voice seemed very familiar to her, but shook the idea away as Ian opened the door to a magnificent office, with a wall made up entirely of a window that looked out onto the city. She could see a man in front of the window, looking out over the view, so that they could only see the back of his head.

  “This is Stephanie Roberson,” Ian announced brightly. “She was sent over by the senator.”

  “Wonderful,” the man spoke again in his familiar voice. “Take a seat, Miss Roberson. Ian, thank you very much, you may go.”

  “Yes sir,” Ian said. He gave Stephanie another smile before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “Well Miss Roberson,” he spoke, still looking out the window. “You’ve certainly kept us waiting for quite some time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Stephanie said, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. “I had no intention to do so. I got caught up in traffic, and this whole meeting was a little bit last minute. I was told to give you this file.”