“Great.” She smiled, her face relaxing and appearing more relieved. Tearing off a sheet of paper from the tablet, she handed it to me.
I frowned. “What is this?”
“Mr. Reston’s home address.”
I swallowed. “Why do I need this?”
“You will need to pick up the packets for the shareholders from him. He collected them on his way home before he found out the nature of the emergency.”
Oh, God. Why do I keep taking one step forward and being dragged three steps back?
Exhaling aloud, not caring if the other woman heard me, I sat down again, frustrated.
“Um, Kalan. Can I tell Mr. Reston that you’ll be by?” Tashi asked.
Still staring at the address, I nodded. “After work. I’ll stop by after work.”
“Okay.” I heard the muffled sounds of Tashi’s sensible heels on the carpet as she left my office.
After work. There was only three hours left in the workday before I would be headed to his domain.
Three hours to get myself together to see the man that had fucked me and stomped all over my heart and didn’t know it. And probably didn’t care. Shoving the address into my purse, I faced my computer and got back to the work at hand. I couldn’t think about him now.
~YH~
I couldn’t believe I was standing at Aaren’s door, ringing his doorbell. During the drive over, I continued to work hard at convincing myself that this was professional, not personal. Aaren and I were done. The short liaison between us was a mistake. I even took a few minutes to call Oriana and let her give me a pep talk. Now, I just had to learn how to keep it in the past and work with him. He was like any other senior executive at the company.
Then he opened the door and my heart stopped beating for a minute and the stars came out in the bright early evening sky. This is not good.
“Hi, Kalan.” His voice was a low, husky rumble that stroked along my spine and warmed my core. However, that sound was second to the broad, welcoming smile he gave me.
Don’t give in.
“Mr. Reston.” I lifted my chin and kept my voice even, professional and cold. “I’m here to pick up the packets. Your secretary said they were here.”
He frowned, but stepped back. “That’s right. Come in.”
“I’d rather remain here while you get them.”
The furrow between his brows deepened. “I’m not going to bite you, sweetheart.” His green eyes became shadowed, intense. “Unless you want me to.”
My heart started to race and a low hum started in my core. Stop it, I ordered my body. Swallowing, I licked my lips. “I think it’s best if we keep things between us professional, Mr. Reston.”
Before I knew what was happening, he reached out, took hold of my arm and dragged me over the threshold and shut the door behind me.
“You have one more Mr. Reston, Kalan, and I’m going make you remember how throaty you can scream my given name,” he growled.
He was standing too close to me. His cologne was potent and intense, reminding me of hot nights filled with pleasured moans. I pressed my back to the door and he had his palm flat against it, caging me in. “Mr.—”
A single brow ticked up.
“Aaren,” I cleared my throat. “The packets, please.”
“I’ll get them as soon as you tell me what’s wrong between us.”
I laughed and tried to push further into the wood behind me. “There’s no us. Now, can I have the—”
“No, damn it.” He shoved away.
I inhaled several breaths, happy that I wasn’t taking in his heady cologne so strong anymore. The house was quiet around us, too quiet. Where were his wife and son? Is that why he’d invited me over because they were away? If that was the case, he had another thing coming. Being an accomplice in his affair once was a mistake. I'd be damned if I let him pull me into another now that I knew he had a family.
After a few steps, he turned back to face me. “Is this some kind of game you’re playing?”
“Me?” I stepped from the door and poked a finger into my chest.
“Hell, yes. Because I’m not used to making love to a woman and then having her act cold and indifferent towards me.”
“You’re not—” Grinding my teeth, I drew in a loud breath through my nose before continuing. “I don’t give a shit what you're used to or not. For a cheat, I’m surprised you have any standards at all.”
He took a large step to me and tilted his head, giving me a hard stare. “A cheat?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Not sure what you call having an affair on a wife, especially when you have a son, but the rest of the world calls it cheating.”
“Enlighten me. Who am I supposed to be wedded to?”
Really, the gall of this man. “Gabrielle. You two have a cute son named Jason. Don’t play me for a fool, Aaren. I spoke to your wife, remember? Right after we—” My arms waved around in a non-verbal circle, which to me, was universal gesture for sex.
In an instant, his face relaxed, his eyes returned to a pale green and he burst out laughing.
For a moment, I just stood there staring at him. This man had lost his mind. I was sure I was a witness to him cracking up.
“I don’t see anything funny.” I folded my arms under my breasts.
“You wouldn’t.” He tipped his head back and stared up at the ceiling as if he were looking for guidance or some sign.
I couldn’t help but glance up, too. Lord, if you’re giving out aid, I could use some, too, about now.
Lowering his head, he fixed his gaze on me. “Kalan, I’m not married. Gabrielle is my sister and Jason is her son.”
I shook my head. “Now who’s playing games? I saw the picture on your desk, she’s black and that little boy is mixed.”
He moved closer to me, close enough for me to feel the heat from his body but thankfully his hands were in his pockets and he didn’t touch me.
“You’re correct. Still she’s my sister. Her husband, Michael, passed away six months after my parents. A rare brain tumor. The medical debt wiped out all her savings and caused her to lose her house. Three months after I moved here, I made her and Jason move down here with me until she was able to get on her feet. She’s been working part-time jobs. But it paid off because she is debt free. Last Monday she started a full time and got an apartment.”
One hand came out and cupped my cheek. “My nephew has pink eye. A mild case, but he can’t go back to daycare for the next couple days and his medicine starts working. He’s upstairs sleeping before one of his favorite cartoon movies. Gabrielle couldn’t get time off because she just started.”
“Oh.” It was all I could think to say because I felt like a big, foolish idiot. However, the heavy weight was lifted from my chest and the cloud of glum was gone.
“Oh?” He repeated, smiling. With another step, he brought his body against mine. “Is this the reason you ran off Friday and haven’t answered any of my calls?”
It was him calling. Figures. As a senior exec, he’d have access to the employee contact information database.
“Guilty.”
His thumb stroked my cheek. “How about we start this day over?”
“We probably should.” Licking my lips, I said, “Um, can you forget all the mean, nasty things I said about you?”
“Hello, Kalan,” he whispered, his eyes once again dark and intense.
I placed a hand on his chest. “Hi, Aaren.”
His other arm slipped around my waist as he said, “I was trying to call you this weekend to tell you that I want a relationship with you.”
Like a perfect melody, his words soothed my soul. “You do?”
“Yes.” He continued to hold my gaze. “For weeks, I’ve thought about nothing but you. How I wanted to make love to you and have you in my life. Personally, not just professionally.”
“I didn’t know. You hide your feelings so well… um, until Friday night.”
“It was a constant strugg
le. We had a job to do and I didn’t want you to be distracted or uncomfortable, especially, if you weren't feeling the same.” He pulled me tighter, crushing my breasts against his chest. “Tell me you want that, too.”
“I do. Since the first moment I met you.” I slipped my arms around his neck.
“You wore a white blouse, beige wide belt with a flower on it, a pink skirt that hugged your thighs and ass and black high heels.”
Shocked, I stared at him. I could recall everything about his eyes that day and the suit he was wearing but I had no clue what I wore that day. “You noticed me?”
“Every day. I went upstairs to chat with Bob Snyder in your department about sports so that I could watch you precisely at eight fifteen walk from your office to the break room for coffee. The best was seeing you walking down the hall back to your office.” He winked. “You have the sexiest ass.”
Speechless, I stretched up on my toes and kissed him.
Tightening his arms around me, he held me against him and lifted my feet from the floor, returning the passion of my kiss to me two-fold.
I wasn’t concerned about the two years we’d spent observing and practically stalking each other, because I had been raised that everything happens in its own time—especially love.
“Hey, hey, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, get a room. There’s a child in the house.” A female voice called out.
Ending the kiss, Aaren lowered my feet to the floor and smiled over my head at the attractive black woman behind me. I recognized her instantly from the picture on Aaren’s desk.
“Soon, love, I’ll have all my rooms to do what I want,” he teased.
“Two years in his house with freeloaders is long enough.” She smiled and closed the front door behind her.
“Never a freeloader,” he said.
“Anyway. Show some manners. I’m Gabrielle, the big lug's younger sister.” She held her hand out to me.
Moving out of Aaren’s arms, I took her hand. “Kalan Henderson. I work with your brother.”
Gabrielle lifted an eyebrow, but her smile was still in place. “After what I just saw, I’m not even going to ask.”
My cheek burned hot. “That was just—”
Laughing, Gabrielle waved away my response. “Just joking. My brother told my son Jason and me about you.”
Glancing at the man still standing close beside me, I said, “He did?”
“Yup.”
“By the way, when I couldn’t get a hold of her this weekend, it was because Kalan thought you were my wife,” Aaren tossed in.
“Oh, no. We get that a lot, especially when we’re out with Jason. I feel like buying a t-shirt that says…my mother was a nurse with a kind heart. If you can’t tell, I was adopted.” Gabrielle pointed from her face to her brother’s, indicating their different skin tones. “I was left at the hospital door just hours old. I spent three months in NICU. Our mother was a nurse there. When no one came to claim me once I was better, she and dad stepped up.”
That explained a lot. I said, “I’m glad. I’m from a big family and they all have large a hearts. There’s nothing like family.”
“Nope.” Gabrielle stepped to her brother and jumped up and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for picking up Jason and getting him to the pedestrian. How is he?”
“Sound asleep finally. But his eye is a lot better than when I picked him up.”
“Good. I’ll go peep in on him.” Gabrielle turned and headed to the steps. Stopping, she faced us again. “Saturday I’m having an apartment-warming dinner. I’d love for you to join us, Kalan.”
Smiling, I said, “I’d like that. Thank you.”
Nodding, Gabrielle continued up to see about her son.
Aaren took my hand and tugged until I was facing him again. “Now that my sister is home, I’m off childcare duty until tomorrow morning. How about I get the packets and follow you to your house. That way we can go over your presentation to the board without being disturbed.”
“Mr. Reston,” I lowered my voice and leaned into him. “I believe you're just trying to get us alone so you can have your wicked way with me.”
Leaning down to my ear, he pressed his lips to it and whispered, “You’d be right because I believe you have some apologizing for every one of this weekend’s missed calls from me and I want you screaming it.” Sliding a hand around my waist, he lowered it and cupped my ass, pulling me tight against his hardening cock. “Don’t think that last Mr. Reston you just used escaped me.”
Oh, I was in trouble. Deep, pleasurable trouble and I was looking forward to every gratifying minute of it with this man.
~The End~
Satin and Eyelash Lace Corset
Want to discover more about this ensemble and others like it?
http://www.hipsandcurves.com/plus-size-lingerie/p-15724-plus-size-satin-and-eyelash-lace-corset-corsets-bustiers.aspx
All images and designs are trademark of Hips & Curves plus size lingerie.
If you haven’t read it, pick up your copy of Love in the Afternoon.
Oriana Price fell for Chase Henderson the first time she accompanied her college roommate on a family vacation. When she saw her best friend’s cousin, Oriana’s world shifted. The only problem was that Chase treated her like one of the family members—always kind, always sweet, but never as passionately as she would hope. Then on the night of Chase’s surprise birthday party Oriana watched the life of the man she cared about shatter into a million pieces. As faithful as always, she was around to help him pull the tattered edges back together.
One thing led to another and Oriana soon discovered that Chase was battling the same sexual beast that plagued her to keep from pulling her into his arms at every turn. But can this be real? Is Chase just using her to fill a temporary void in his life and mask the hurt?
It is said that time heals all wounds, but can it give you the love of your life?
Next up for Lingerie Series Secret Delights
Gabrielle Reston has had more than her share of sorrow in her life—from her parent’s passing to the unexpected loss of her husband. The only reason she has for smiling is her little boy. A move to a new city has brought a change of scenery, new job and a great apartment to raise her son; she doesn’t need anything else. A man in her life would just bring heartache and possibly more grief for her child. Then she meets Sloane Cale, the new preschool teacher and everything changes.
Sloane has his hands full at school when a fellow teacher becomes ill and her class is divided and he ends up with more students. When he notices one child is having a hard time making friends, he decides a parent-teacher conference is in order. The moment Gabrielle sways her full hips into his classroom he knows he’s in trouble. The conservative parochial school where he works has several strict rules—no illicit fraternizing with student’s parents is a big one.
However, when the attraction between them is explosive and all-consuming can it be worth the risk for them both?
About the Author
I've been penning erotic tales since 2006, on the hedonistic side of the romance genre. However, I've been writing romance under a different pen for a while. I'm eclectic by nature.
I'm married to my best friend. A guy that makes me laugh 'til I can't breathe and one who steals my breath every time he walks into a room. I believe in happily ever after like the rising of the sun depended on it.
http://yvettehines.com
Nightie Night: The Lingerie Series (Stir Sticks & Stilettos) Page 5
