by C. L. Parker
He was right. The office staff kept a keen eye on our every move, just waiting for something juicy. It was our own fault; we’d rarely ever paid attention to the audience of our showdowns.
Once I’d closed the door, Shaw cut to the chase: “Go ahead. Get it out of your system. I have a lot of fires to put out today.”
That was when I realized I didn’t know what to say. I’d been waiting for so long to go off on him, and when I finally had the chance, I had no idea what to go off on him about.
“Well?”
“You made me mad.” Not very witty, but true. “How dare you—?”
“How dare I what?” Shaw sat forward. “How dare I play dirty? Or is it, How dare I steal Denver away so I can have him to myself for a while? Or is it maybe, How dare I try to butter him up by catering to his needs? Or, most likely, How dare I do exactly what you’ve been doing, too?”
Obviously, he had been better prepared for this face-off.
“Oh, yeah?” Really? I didn’t have anything else to say to that?
“Yeah.”
We sounded like children.
And right on cue, my hand found my hip. “Well, at least I didn’t create a scandal for him.”
“There is no scandal. No charges were pressed against him because he didn’t do anything wrong. The club was at fault for hiring someone underage. Denver had no way of knowing. No charges pending. Happy?”
No. “It’s still bad publicity.”
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You obviously didn’t watch the news this morning. It’s all over the place. Denver has been cleared of any wrongdoing. He’s issued a public statement, apologizing for his behavior and speaking out against the unlawful exploitation of women, underage or not.”
Oh. But … “The feminist activists of the world will eat him alive.”
“I’m sorry. Did I forget to mention he’s donated an insane amount of money to the National Organization for Women? Because yeah, he did that, too. Under my advisement.”
I had to admit that Shaw’s swift and effective handling of the situation made me nervous. “So he signed with you?”
“Not yet. But it’s looking good.” The smug smile for which Shaw was famous crept onto his face. “Scared?”
Yes. “No.”
“You should be.”
My thoughts flashed to the elevator ride before my beach date with Denver. I couldn’t believe Shaw was throwing my own words back at me. “Get your own material.”
Shaw’s laugh was too confident. So was the way he relaxed into his chair like he was sitting on a throne. “Aww, are you pouting, Whalen? It sucks when you know someone has pulled ahead of you in the race, doesn’t it?”
“You’re not ahead.”
“It would appear that I am.”
“A little friendly advice?” I was desperate.
“Just because we fuck on occasion, it doesn’t mean we’re friends. Get over yourself.”
I ignored another attempt to cut me with my own words. “You should be more careful. While you’re trying to score the golden goose, your other hens might fly the coop. Not showing up for work and ignoring your existing clients will only lose you the partnership. Wade won’t put up with it.”
Shaw tossed his pen onto the desk. “I appreciate your concern about my clients, but you can rest assured they’re well tended. None of them have been slighted in the least. And my time away from the office was approved by Wade, not that it’s any of your business.”
Speak of the devil. Wade’s muffled voice was just outside Shaw’s door, bidding a good morning to Ben, who had apparently arrived while Shaw and I were going at it.
“Is he in?” Wade asked Ben.
“I’m pretty sure he is, sir. His light is on, and I thought I heard voices coming from inside.”
If I could hear every word as clearly as I just had, how clearly had Ben heard us?
My eyes went wide as saucers. “Do you think he heard the part about fucking?” I whispered.
“Shh! I don’t know, but we’re not going to take any chances.” Shaw rolled his chair back. “Here. Hide under my desk.”
“What?” I was not going to crawl under his desk.
“If there’s no one in here, the conversation couldn’t have happened, right?”
I supposed that made sense.
“So get down there and keep your trap shut. When Wade’s gone, I’ll send Ben to make some copies or something, and then you can leave.”
There was a courtesy knock at his door then, the kind people only make to alert you to the fact that they’re coming in, whether you invited them to or not. Having no time to think it through, I panicked and made a mad dash for the cubby under Shaw’s desk. It was roomy, but not so much when Shaw scooted forward to take his natural place. Which meant his crotch was right in front of my face. Fantastic.
“Morning, Matthews! Still cleaning up the mess?” Ha! Shaw was about to get reamed, and I was going to get to see it all go down. Well, since I was trapped under a desk, I guess I was going to hear it go down.
“Good morning, sir. The mess is gone, and we’re back in business.”
The seat on the opposite side of the desk creaked with what I assumed was Wade’s weight. “Wonderful! You really saved the day, son. I won’t soon forget it. Things could’ve gotten really ugly on this.”
Son? I couldn’t believe it. He was actually getting away with the colossal fumble. No flag on the play. If this were an actual game and I were the coach on the opposing team, I’d demand a review.
“I know. But it was my fault to begin with. I never should’ve let it get as far as it did.”
Damn right, he shouldn’t have. I nudged the inside of Shaw’s thigh, tempted to give him a horse bite. He kicked back and missed.
“Be that as it may, you kept it together and showed strength under pressure. Commendable.”
Oh, he did, did he? Maybe he just didn’t have the right kind of pressure on him. Though I knew my asinine idea could backfire in my face and get us both caught, I couldn’t resist the urge to make Shaw look stupid. Wade was still going on and on about what an asset Shaw was to Striker, how the company he’d helped build from the ground up was a better place because Shaw graced it with his presence, how the accounts he’d wrangled were among the most coveted. I was sick to my stomach. Shaw had screwed up, and he was being showered with praise. So since I knew he couldn’t do a damn thing about it, I unfastened his pants and pulled his cock out.
No idea why I’d done that, but the ball was in the air on a Hail Mary and there was no turning back now. Oh, Shaw tried to stop me, but without throwing a monkey wrench into all the admiration that was coming his way, he couldn’t.
How was it possible that the man was hard? I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised that compliments gave him a boner, but Jesus. I’d always thought the extent of his egomania had been an overexaggeration of my own imagination. Apparently not.
Shaw shifted in his chair, desperately trying to get me to release his cock.
“You look surprised, Matthews.”
I bet he did. It was all I could do to contain my snickering.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve ever given you a compliment, is it?”
“Um, no.” Shaw cleared his throat when I licked the tip of his cock. “No, sir.” I could’ve sworn his voice had raised an octave. “It’s just that I didn’t expect one after what had happened. But, um, thank you.”
I took him fully into my mouth, and as I did so, my head hit the bottom of the drawer above me, which forced Shaw to shift again in his seat to account for the sound. But I didn’t let go. Not even when he slipped a hand under the desk to try to push me off. Hooking the insides of his thighs, I held my place.
Wade hadn’t a clue that his Boy Scout was getting a blow job right in front of him. Though Shaw’s cock was quite large, I was sure Wade had bigger things to worry about. “So, how much damage to our chances?”
Shaw leaned hi
s upper torso all the way forward so that his hips scooted back in an attempt to pull his cock out of my mouth. It didn’t work. I was locked on tight. Though it was comical to watch him try to disengage while still maintaining a coherent conversation. “Actually, I think you’ll be happy to hear there was none. I got it straight from Rocket’s father that he will definitely be signing with Striker. Congratulations, sir, you got your prize.”
That certainly called for retaliation. I sucked hard, pulling back and then taking him deep again. Shaw’s grip on my shoulder tightened, but he was no longer trying to shove me off.
“Holy shit, Matthews! You did it? You got the contract? Well, hell … we need to call a staff meeting and make the official announcement.”
My teeth scraped the skin, and Shaw’s voice found that octave again. “No, sir.” He paused for a moment before continuing, which gave me the green light to get to work. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t get the contract.”
Wade got quiet, and I stopped, afraid he might have heard me. “Whalen got it?”
“Not yet. But I did get the guarantee from Mr. Rockford that his son will sign with our agency. Denver has yet to decide which agent he will go with. Though I feel confident about my chances. In spite of my error in judgment.”
Over my dead body. I was done playing with him. I wanted him to squirm, to look like an idiot in front of Wade. So I pressed my tongue along the length of his cock as I pulled back, swirling it around the head before taking him in again. Over and over, I repeated the same movement, Shaw’s hidden hand now finding the back of my neck.
“Yes, well, that’s good news all the same. But I wouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch. Whalen is a formidable opponent. She knows how to suck ’em in.”
“Oh, she definitely knows how to suck, all right,” Shaw mumbled.
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“Nothing, sir.”
I took him all the way to the back of my throat and then swallowed. Shaw moaned, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing around the cock in my mouth.
“Are you okay, Matthews?”
“Hmm? Yeah, yeah. I’ve just been having this pain in my leg since Vegas. I think I might’ve strained a muscle or something.” And there was the squirm I’d been searching for.
“You should have that checked out.” Crap! It hadn’t worked. Wade was oblivious.
“You’re right. I’ll do that as soon as possible.”
I heard the creak of the chair again as Wade stood. “Okay, well, congratulations on saving the day. I’ll leave you to your work now.”
He was leaving? No! I’d done all of that for nothing?
“Thank you. I’d walk you out, but you know, the leg and all.” I hated Shaw Matthews.
“No need. I know my way around here. Take care of that, you hear?”
“Will do. Have a good day.” I’d begun to release Shaw, defeated, but he put a stop to that when he fisted my hair. “And, I’m sorry, but could you please ask Ben to come in on your way out? Thanks.”
The door opened, and I could hear Wade doing just that. Within seconds, Ben was at the threshold. “Yeah, boss?”
“Lock and close my door, please. I have a very important call to make, and I don’t want to be disturbed for any reason. Understood?” Shaw’s voice was direct and left no room for questioning.
“You got it,” Ben said, and then I heard two clicks. One for the lock and the other for the door.
And then Shaw finally looked down at me. His cock was as far in my mouth as it could go without choking me, and he wouldn’t turn me loose. The expression on his face confused me. I wasn’t sure if he was pleased with what he saw or angry. Though I knew he was angry, didn’t I? Of course he was. I’d just tried to sabotage him in front of our boss.
That might not have been the smartest idea I’d ever had. If that look had been any indication, I’d say I was in for it.
So I tried to pull away again, stopped once more by Shaw’s hold.
“Where do you think you’re going, Cassidy?” The smirk he wore resembled that of a cat toying with its meal. “You haven’t finished. Well begun is still only half done, and we both know how strict you are about the follow-through.”
Pressing his shoulder blades to the back of the chair, Shaw kept control of my head as he backed himself out of my mouth only to roll his hips forward again. “Nice and slow now,” he said.
As if I had any say in the matter. For a moment, I allowed myself to play with the idea of biting down, but in the end, I decided against it. My last harebrained idea hadn’t exactly worked out in my favor. I was getting lockjaw to prove it.
“Deeper.”
I gagged when he pushed too far.
“Yeah, I like that.”
He liked that? I sure as hell didn’t. So I put my hand around the base of his cock, keeping him from doing it again. Throwing up all over a man’s crotch while giving him a blow job wouldn’t be sexy in the least, no matter what he thought. He was delusional.
“Aww, that’s no fun,” he said with a fake pout. “But have it your way.” The grin that followed worried me more than the smirk from before.
And with good reason.
Shaw’s hold tightened and he lifted his hips, beginning a series of short but quick thrusts in and out of my mouth. He groaned, watching the whole thing play out like we were two porn stars hamming it up for the camera.
“Look at me.” His order was a half growl. When I did as directed, he followed up with “Oh, yeah … that’s my good girl.”
I didn’t know what it was about his words, but the pooling moisture between my legs was no illusion. I loved that I’d pleased him. And it made no sense at all. Suddenly, I felt like that porn star and slipped into the role, clawing at his thigh with one hand and stroking his cock with the other. Meeting the thrust of his hips with the bob of my head, I took him on, hollowing out my cheeks and sucking him hard.
With a steady rhythm established, Shaw stopped fucking my mouth and let me have my way. And have my way, I did.
His cock became even more rigid and his body strained as he settled into the chair and braced for what was undoubtedly one hell of a massive orgasm building. Shaw was silent, but I could hear his breaths and a stray grunt here and there. It was taking a lot for him not to make a sound, and the knowledge of that was like a big pat on the back. I was doing that to him. I was making him feel damn good. And I could take his pleasure away at my whim. Power. It was sheer power. But rather than abuse it, I drew confidence from it. Though I’d never wanted to give Shaw any sort of satisfaction, I wanted to give him this.
So I sucked, and I licked, and I coaxed his orgasm from the pit of its origin. When Shaw’s fingers tightened on the armrests and he went white-knuckled, I knew it was coming. Or, rather, he was. There was no time to figure out whether I was a spitter, a swallower, or none of the above because the release was already there and filling up my mouth. Squeezing my eyes shut, I took it in big gulps and swallowed it down.
Shaw’s cock went flaccid in my mouth and I finally pulled away, giving the head one last, sweet kiss. And then the jackass attached to it ruined the whole moment when he handed me a tissue from his desk and said, “You missed a spot.” I narrowed my eyes and snatched it from his hand. “Just right there,” he said, pointing at the corner of his own mouth.
I wiped at the spot and gave him a flippant smile. “Better?”
“Yep.” He scooted his chair back to give me room to crawl out from under his desk, which I did quickly. “Thanks for cleaning up after yourself. That was pretty cool of you.”
“You’re not welcome.”
He laughed, pulling me down into his lap. “I was just joking. Don’t be so mean.”
“I’m mean?” I jumped out of his lap, prepared to lay into him.
Shaw put his finger to his lips to stop my rant, then pushed a line on his phone to dial an extension. “Ben?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“I need you
to print the Kershawn file and make six copies of each contract. And I need it right away for a meeting. Understood?”
“Roger that. I’m on it.”
When the line went dead, Shaw walked over to the door and listened. After a moment, he cracked it, then opened it all the way. “You’re free to go,” he said, extending an arm in invitation. Checking myself over to be sure my suit was in fair condition, I stalked past. But not before tucking the used, semen-soiled tissue into his jacket pocket.
“I’ll get even,” I assured him as I walked away.
“I’m sure you will.”
CHAPTER 12
Shaw
Cassidy Whalen had just given me every white-collar working man’s ideal fantasy. A blow job from under the desk. The real thing had been a bit more risqué than was safe, and she was damn lucky her stunt hadn’t gotten us caught. In truth, the danger factor had been a serious turn-on, but that was besides the fact.
Just having her under my desk and knowing she was that close to my cock was enough to give me a hard-on, but when she brazenly pulled it out and then put her mouth on it, I nearly lost all composure. That woman was going to be the death of me. Wade couldn’t leave soon enough. I knew it had all been a game to her, some sick and twisted idea to throw me off. But messing with a man’s cock like that was no game. And I was hell-bent on having her finish what she’d started. To my delight, she hadn’t put up a fight.
Cassidy could bitch and moan all she wanted, but when it came right down to it, she wanted me every bit as much as I wanted her. Every single second of every single day. So when she’d said she’d get even, some very disturbed part of me had cheered. I was looking forward to it, even if I was a little paranoid.
“Dude, you got a hit out on you?” Chaz asked.
“Huh?”
He laughed, finishing up with drying one freshly washed mug and moving to the next. “You keep looking over your shoulder. Let me guess: you have another psycho stalker.”
There might have been an incident a few months back with this one chick who’d started writing our marital vows before the stain on the sheets had even dried. I’d tried to let her down easy, but the “I’m not looking for a committed relationship right now” that came out of my mouth went into her ears sounding more like “I wasn’t looking for a committed relationship … until I found you.”
