He shrugged. “Want to go see a movie?”
I laughed, couldn’t help it. “Sure.”
His head snapped over to me. “Seriously?”
My turn to shrug. “Why not? We’ve gotten the first part of the date out of the way, right? It’s not bad form at this point.”
“It’s always bad form on the first date,” he said, his tone light.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Figuring he was right, I said, “Okay. Then what’s on the agenda?”
“Your choice.”
“Ice cream,” I blurted.
“I know the perfect place.”
A few minutes later, we were pulling into a small ice cream shop. I met Edge at the front of the car, where he took my hand and walked me inside. When it was our turn to order at the counter, I kept my fingers linked with his, not wanting to let him go.
“I’ll take one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of chocolate chip,” I told the bored guy staring blankly at me from behind the counter.
“And you?” he asked Edge.
“One scoop of vanilla.”
I chuckled, causing the guy to stare at me. “Sorry.”
Edge pulled me against him, kissed the top of my head, then leaned down until his mouth was against my ear. “What’s so funny?”
I pulled back, smiled up at him. “I’d never peg you for a vanilla guy.”
Edge’s blue eyes flashed with heat. “Only when it comes to ice cream, sweetness.”
Unable to speak, I simply grinned. He didn’t know how much I wanted to explore non-vanilla at the moment.
More than I wanted chocolate, as a matter of fact.
CAV
I WAS SITTING ON THE HOTEL BED, flipping through channels when my cell phone chimed with a text. I glanced at the screen and grinned.
Jamie: I thought I’d text to tell you good night.
Without hesitation, I responded.
Me: Home already?
Jamie: I am.
Me: Did you have a good time?
Jamie: A fantastic time.
Me: Tell me about it.
Jamie: He took me bowling, then we had ice cream.
Me: Edge can’t bowl.
Jamie: Tell me about it.
Me: Did he kiss you good-night?
Jamie: On the cheek, so it doesn’t count. But he was really sweet.
Sweet? It wasn’t often someone referred to Edge as sweet.
Me: I’m glad to hear you had a good time. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.
Jamie: Me, too. Good night, Cav.
Me: Good night, cupcake.
I stared at my phone for long seconds, a stupid grin on my face. Jamie Lautner had burrowed under my skin so quickly it confused me. Yet I didn’t feel the need to explain it away.
This afternoon, when she had texted to let me know she was going out with Edge, I had been somewhat surprised. Not disappointed. Not exactly. I was glad Edge was finally making a move. It was about damn time. I was merely surprised he hadn’t mentioned it to me first.
I had no sooner dropped my phone on the bed than it rang. Edge’s name flashed on the screen and I answered immediately.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”
“What room are you in?” Edge countered without answering my question.
I didn’t know whether that was good or bad. Figuring the only way to find out was to give him the answer, I said, “Seven-oh-three.”
“I’ll be there in three minutes.”
The call disconnected and I stared at the phone again. What the hell?
It was twelve thirty, and he’d spent the better part of the evening with Jamie. What was he stopping by here for? Maybe to give me a play-by-play of how it went? If he was, did I really want to know?
Since the only way to find out was to talk to Edge directly, I went and unlocked the door, then flipped the privacy latch to hold it open. I grabbed the remote, muted the television before dropping into the chair near the window.
My gaze darted to the bed repeatedly, and I wondered if I relocated there, would Edge join me?
“Doubtful,” I muttered to myself. This thing between us had been simmering for so long, I didn’t expect it to go anywhere. Not soon, anyway. Gregory Edge was nothing if not patient. As though he had to map it all out before he could move forward.
It irritated me to no end sometimes. Spontaneity was not a trait of his, that was for sure.
Edge arrived a few minutes later. He walked right in, closed the door behind him. I watched him closely, eyeing him up and down. He was tense, that was apparent.
“So, how’d it go?” I reluctantly asked, unsure as to whether I wanted to know at this point.
Again, I got no answer from Edge. The big man simply stalked across the room. When he was standing directly in front of me, I stared up at him. And when he leaned over, propped his hands on the chair arms, I swallowed my surprise … seconds before he fucking kissed me.
Everything went hot. My skin, my blood. My entire being was immersed in that kiss, taken completely off guard as Edge’s tongue thrust into my mouth. Unable to resist, I reached for his head, holding him still as we devoured one another. It wasn’t gentle, but not entirely out of control, either. Somewhere in the middle.
It wasn’t until both of us were panting that Edge pulled back, my hands falling to my lap. I glared up at him. “What the fuck was that for?”
Edge gave one of those wicked smirks. “Because I fucking wanted to.”
“Since when?” I prompted.
“Since … for-fucking-ever,” he said firmly.
I swallowed hard when his eyes drifted to my mouth again.
“I take it the date went well?”
“Better than,” he said on a huff, then walked around to the other side of the room before returning. There was nowhere to go in the small space, but somehow Edge managed to pace, his long legs eating up the ground quickly. He glanced around the room. “How long are you staying here?”
Assuming he was referring to my current living arrangements, I shrugged. “Until I figure out what I’m gonna do.”
Edge appeared confused “About?”
“Whether I’m gonna rent or buy. House or condo. All that fun adult shit. Now that I’ve accepted the job, I figure I’ve gotta make a decision.”
Edge nodded, his eyes still locked on my face.
I didn’t know what came over me, but the next thing I knew, I was on my feet, stalking him for a change. I didn’t stop until I was pressed up against him, our mouths fused together once more. Now that he’d kissed me, I needed to taste him again. I’d spent years thinking about this, wondering what it would feel like. Even my wildest fantasies weren’t as great as his fucking kiss.
This time, Edge took my face in his hands. Within seconds, he reversed our positions until I was pressed up against the wall. My hands wanted to wander, but I refrained. It wasn’t fucking easy, either. I felt like a soda bottle, shaken and ready to explode.
Having been friends for so long, we knew pretty much everything about the other, including the fact that we were both bisexual. It wasn’t something we tended to discuss, but it wasn’t something we denied, either. And yet, right here, with Edge’s mouth crushed to mine, I forgot every single man I’d ever been with.
“I’m not sure what we’re doing here,” Edge said softly when he pulled back. “But whatever it is, I want to see where it goes.”
I nodded. He could strip me right here and I wouldn’t complain. Hell, I was almost to the point I would beg.
Almost.
However, I knew what Edge was feeling, the frustration coursing through his veins. He’d gone out with Jamie tonight, and if his date had been half as good as mine, I figured he was rock hard and about to detonate.
“Are you lookin’ to relieve some stress?” I asked, wondering if that was the reason he’d shown up here.
He stepped back, frowned. “No.”
“Are you su
re?”
“Positive.”
I stared at him. “Then why’re you here?”
Edge’s hand came out, gripped my jaw firmly as he leaned in. “Because I can. Do you have a problem with that, Cav?”
I shook my head, kept my mouth closed. Defiance was a bitter taste in my mouth, but there was a small part of me that didn’t want to fight him off. Being the alpha was second nature for me, yet it seemed I was right, it was possible for submission to exist within domination. I was living proof.
Not that I wanted to submit to him, but I didn’t feel the need to dominate him, either.
“Are you sure?” Edge’s voice was low, hard.
I nodded.
“Because this…” His eyes dropped to my mouth. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a damn long time.” He held my stare for a moment, those bright blue eyes glittering with intent. “And now that I have, it’s going to be damn hard to resist you.” He released my jaw. “But I will.”
“What?” I frowned. “Why?”
“Because that’s the way it works,” he said as he stepped toward the door.
I couldn’t move, only watch as he stood there staring at me, one hand on the knob. His gaze bounced from my eyes to my lips before settling on my eyes one last time.
“Good night, Cav.”
“Night.”
With that parting note, I watched him stroll right out of my hotel room.
“Son of a bitch,” I growled as I walked to the door and flipped the security latch.
Before I made it back to the bed, I removed every stitch of clothing and had my fist wrapped firmly around my cock. I fell onto the bed stroking myself hard and fast, needing to release some of the pent-up pressure. Even if Edge wasn’t sexually frustrated—which I questioned—I was. Between my dates with Jamie this week and Edge’s unexpected appearance tonight, I felt as though my damn head was going to explode off my body. My own hand couldn’t sate me fully, but it was all I seemed to be getting these days.
I closed my eyes, thought about them both as I jacked off. I had only one goal in mind.
And five painful minutes later, I achieved it, a deep growl following my release.
EIGHT
EDGE
Monday, October 29, 2018
THE WEEKEND PASSED IN A BLUR. THE club had been packed, which kept me busy. It didn’t help that two of our recent training class graduates had managed to cause an uproar—complete with name-calling followed by a hand-to-hand brawl—on Saturday evening over a Dominant they’d each spent time with, resulting in both of them being walked out and told to never come back. There was no room for that sort of jealousy at the club and I’d told them as much.
While I generally worked at Dichotomy on Monday to prepare for the week, I’d come in to the Chatter office today because Justin had requested my presence. I’d come in early, hoping to slip out midday, but ended up staying, sitting in on one meeting after another.
Just when I thought they were over, Justin appeared in my doorway.
Looks like you’re about to be summoned. Again.
“You have a few minutes?” he asked.
I leaned back in my chair. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Meeting. My office.”
Another one? Maybe they want to discuss the last one.
Since Justin was my boss, I wasn’t about to tell him I’d prefer to sit this one out, although it was the truth. So, when Justin headed down the hall, I got to my feet and followed.
When I stepped into Justin’s office, I found Zeke, Landon, Langston, and Ben reclining, chatting amongst themselves on the two couches that formed a comfortable seating area. While my office was larger than it needed to be, it wasn’t the size of Justin’s. Or any of the other partners’, for that matter. The amount of space they had would’ve allowed me to live in my office. Full-time.
“Looks like a party,” I said as I took the only available spot across from Ben.
“Not for a few more days,” Landon stated with a smirk. “I hear Halloween’s on at the club.”
That it was, but to be honest, Halloween was one of my least favorite holidays at Dichotomy. It didn’t seem to matter how much effort I put into it, there was always drama. I detested drama, hated it with a passion.
“So, I brought you here for a reason,” Justin said as he took a seat in the oversized lounge chair on the end. “As you’re all aware, Zeke recently brought Cav on for his department in an official management position. After some discussion, we figured it would make sense for Cav to handle the hiring and firing of employees in their division.”
“Not simply because Cav’ll do a better job,” Ben added, a teasing note to his tone.
“But he will,” Zeke stated with a devious grin. “He likes people. I don’t.”
“So you say.” Ben sobered, glanced around at the players in the room. “We’ve decided to bring Zeke on as a partner, heading up the global information security division of Chatter PR. The fact of the matter is, we wouldn’t have this division if it weren’t for Zeke. It only felt right to give him a stake in the game.”
Wow. That was … interesting news. “Congratulations,” I told Zeke, genuinely happy for the guy.
Zeke nodded his thanks.
“As you may know, we’ve also brought Ramsey on as a partner and he’ll be running the talent division on his own.” Justin’s eyes shifted to my face. “And we’re finishing off the expansion by offering you a partner position as well.”
Hold the presses. Is he serious?
“Me?” I was confused. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re a global company,” Langston explained. “Over the years, we’ve continued to grow, but we’ve limited ourselves when it came to size and portfolio. In the past year, we’ve focused on the management team in an effort to expand our clientele. Since then, we’ve promoted Jordan, brought Jane on in a management role, as well as Bishop when we expanded with a security division. And we’ve hired Clarissa, bringing our contract legal team in house.”
Please tell me there’s a point to this.
Justin kept right on talking. “We’ve got a lot of balls in the air and still not enough people to handle everything. In order to focus and not overwhelm, we’re branching out.”
“We need more people to carry our balls,” Zeke said with a smirk.
While I appreciated his attempt at humor, I couldn’t get past the partner portion.
“As you know, the four of us have always maintained our own portfolios,” Justin noted. “Landon and Langston are building and expanding the publishing division, while I’m sticking with new products, mainly in the toy industry. Ben will continue to expand the technology companies. Which means we’ll need someone to mainly focus on your area of expertise. Large corporations, not related to technology. Who better to handle that than the man who’s spent his entire career handling them?”
“But you don’t have a corporate division,” I told Justin.
Ben grinned, white teeth flashing. “We do now.”
“Really?”
“If you’re interested, that is,” Landon said.
I realized all eyes were on me, but my attention remained on Justin. Back before Chatter PR had existed, Justin and I had worked for the same advertising agency. We’d joked from time to time about venturing out on our own. One day, Justin decided to go for it. At the time, I wasn’t comfortable committing, so I’d politely declined. The man had been on me for years to come join his company. I’d gotten used to him calling me at least once a month to discuss when I was moving to his firm. I hadn’t regretted giving in.
Until now.
Justin tilted his head, studying me. “What? Did you not expect me to put you on the spot?”
“Would’ve been nice,” I replied.
He maintained a sober expression. “I figured if I wanted to avoid a decade’s worth of begging and pleading, this was the way to go.”
I didn’t look away. He knew I would have more questions,
most of them pertaining to responsibilities as well as incentives. I was one of those men who spent my time wisely. If the reward wasn’t worth the effort, I didn’t put forth the energy.
“We can discuss the partnership agreement at length,” Justin continued, “but I felt it necessary to get this out now.”
“Why the rush?” I asked.
For the first time since I walked in the room, Justin smiled. “Because we’re getting married.”
My gaze shot to Ben, who nodded.
“So, she said yes?” Landon asked, referring to their submissive, Addison.
“She did.”
“Congratulations.” Some of the tension eased out as genuine happiness took over. “It’s about damn time.”
“Thanks,” Ben and Justin said in unison.
The tension was back. “But what does that have to do with the company?”
“Well, for one, when we start a family, we’re hoping to be in a position to rely on others to maintain most of the day-to-day.”
And by that, I figured Justin meant they’d shift down to a regular workweek and delegate—something none of them did well—to those they put in place to handle the important aspects of running a global corporation.
“Getting married and starting a family,” I mused. “You’ve come a long way, Parker.”
“That he has,” Langston agreed with a chuckle. “Congrats again, by the way.”
Justin smiled, glanced at Ben. “Thanks.”
“What about you two?” I asked, shifting the focus to Landon and Langston. “When’s the baby due?”
“Trust me,” Landon said with a shit-eating grin, “we’re workin’ on it.”
I was fairly certain they’d been doing exactly that in Landon’s office earlier in the day.
“So?” Justin prompted. “What do you say?”
I turned back to him. “I say we should have a conversation.”
“If the money’s right?” Landon asked.
“It’s not about money,” I told him, glancing from one face to the next. “It’s never been about money for me.”
The simple fact was, money wasn’t an issue. I had more than I could spend in this lifetime. That was one of the benefits of coming from old money. However, I didn’t broadcast that fact, so most people weren’t aware that my investments made me more than most corporate executives pocketed in a year. Except, every man in this room knew me. They probably even knew my net worth, which begged the question…
Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue, 6) Page 15
