“Thanks. You too.” I walk out of his corner office area and down the hall to mine.
Annie isn’t there, which is probably a good thing. I need to work off all this pent-up energy, and if she were around, I might try to seduce her into letting me bang her in my office with the blinds drawn. Actually, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
I sit in my office and draw the blinds. Who the hell cares? Mr. Zilroy does it every damn day between one and two. I won’t be napping though.
* * *
To: Annie Stewart ([email protected])
From: Lorenzo Mancini ([email protected])
Subject: Not a Request
* * *
I need to see you in my office ASAP.
* * *
I send her the email since it’s our go-to communication at work. We’re off the radar of the IT guys and she doesn’t have to have her cell phone out all the time.
With the blinds drawn, I won’t see when she returns to her desk, so I focus on the Orange Glow account while I wait for her. But the entire time I try to work, the conversation with Mr. Jacobson runs through my head. What a sexist prick. I mean, not only his feelings about Annie but in relation to me. Even if there was a daycare, who cares? I bet there would be fewer absences and more productive workers.
There’s a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
Annie walks in. “Why are the blinds drawn? Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not gonna happen.”
I lock the door using the button under my desk.
“Enzo…” Her tone is one of warning.
I walk across the room, pull her into my chest, and bring my lips to hers. As always, her fight wanes because she wants me as much as I want her.
My hands run up her back, but I rest my forehead on hers. “Am I a misogynist?”
“What?” She places her hands on my cheeks.
“Before you got to know me, did you think I was a misogynist?”
Her face softens as if she wants to let me down lightly. “I didn’t really know. I mean, you were Lorenzo Mancini, the asshole who kept expecting unrealistic things from his assistant. I didn’t think you were a misogynist per se.”
“But?”
“You know the advertising game. It’s a man’s world.”
I break apart from her and head over to the couch. She follows.
“Yeah, but…”
“Enzo, you’re a man, so maybe you don’t see things as blatantly as a woman might. But I never saw you purposely knock a woman down. Other than the whole dry cleaning thing, you never did anything degrading. Except for the blinds being shut right now and the rumors that are bound to swirl.” She raises her eyebrows.
“I really want to be inside you right now.” I squeeze her knee.
“Is this about the meeting with Mr. Jacobson? Did it not go well? Did he say anything about the partnership?”
She hammers me with all these questions, but I can’t tell her the shitty things her boss thinks. But she should know so she can go somewhere else. She could go to Coddle.
The selfish part of me doesn’t want that to happen. I like her. I like spending time with her. Hell, I like working with her and seeing her in action. And I really like fucking her. Her strict rule of only one sleepover during the week isn’t the best, but if she takes the Coddle job, she’ll move to Houston.
“The tampon ad is yours,” I spit it out.
“What?”
I nod. “I’m here to guide you, but truth is, you don’t need me. It’s yours.”
“Enzo.” Her hand covers her heart. Then the excitement in her eyes fade. “Wait. Is this because I’m a woman?”
I run my thumb over her cheek. “You do know the product.”
She nods, but she knows why it’s hers. She also won’t make waves because it’s the first account she’s had to herself.
“I’m sure Blair will love it.” I roll my eyes.
“Stop being so sour toward her. It’s not her fault I’m awesome and she wanted to snatch me up out of your grip.”
I grip her hips and pull her onto my lap. “She has no idea the fight she’ll get.”
She smiles but says nothing.
“I’ll work on the condom ad while you’re doing the tampon one. After you present, you can hop on the condom one and help finish it up. Before we know it, you’ll be a junior ad exec and I’ll be partner.”
Her head dips, and I capture her lips with a kiss I’m hoping convinces the both of us.
Chapter 28
Annie
* * *
“What do you mean he wants to set me up with his sister?” Jake pops a fry into his mouth.
“She’s super pretty, he showed me a picture. And if you don’t want to go alone, he’s offered for the two of us to tag along.”
“Oh really, a double date?” Mae puts her chin in her palm.
I throw a fry at her. “Stop it.”
She’s been making references throughout our lunch about Enzo and me. The rumor train has arrived at Jacobson and Earl, and Enzo’s stunt of closing the blinds the other day only made it stop for a prolonged layover.
My phone dings with an email. “I swear, I think you’ll like her. Hold up one sec while I check my messages.”
* * *
To: Annie Stewart ([email protected])
From: Lorenzo Mancini ([email protected])
Subject: Lunch order
* * *
You.
* * *
I roll my eyes, but Mae catches it.
“What’s that look for? Who is it?” she asks.
I place my phone on the table, face down. “Just Enzo’s lunch order.”
“Oh, let me guess. You on his desk?” Mae rolls her eyes, but they pop back in place, pointed right at me.
Yeah, not much getting past her. If she didn’t work at Jacobson and Earl, I’d tell her everything, but if everyone finds out about the fraternization, I’ll never get that promotion.
Jake, God bless him, continues as if he hasn’t noticed Mae’s focus. “I’m not sure, Annie, I mean what if… the stakes are high if I go on a date with her.”
I put up my hand. “Hold on.”
* * *
Me: Send me a pic of Blanca.
* * *
Three dots appear.
* * *
Enzo: Did you get my email? I’m starving for my lunch.
* * *
I shake my head.
* * *
Me: Pic?
Enzo: You want a dick pic? Sure thing sweetie.
Me: Unless you want me to show Mae and Jake your dick, I suggest one of Blanca.
Enzo: You’re no fun.
Enzo: Pic attached.
* * *
I enlarge it and put it in front of Jake. His eyes widen, then Mae steals the phone.
“Okay, I’m in,” Jake says.
“You’d be an idiot not to be.” Mae hands me back my phone.
“Great. Do you want to go alone?” I ask.
“I really don’t want to go with Enzo.”
I laugh. “Okay, so…?”
“I’ll go alone. I’m not twelve.”
Phew. I didn’t know how I would survive dinner with Enzo. The man would be sending me texts and probably fingering me under the table. One day I won’t be like a shiny new toy for him to play with. That thought makes me sad, so I push it away.
“Great. I’ll let him know.”
* * *
Me: Jake says it a go. How do you want this to happen? Are you going to call your sister?
Enzo: I’m bothered that my texts and emails are being filled with setting my sister up. Go to the bathroom and send me a pic of your tits.
* * *
“There’s that damn smirk again. Are you dating someone?” Mae reaches to grab my phone, but I slide back the chair, knocking into the man behind me.
“I’m so sorry.”
His wife gives me a dir
ty look while handing him a napkin for the spoonful of soup all over his shirt. I shoot Mae a look like “look what you made me do.”
“It’s okay,” the older gentleman says.
I pluck the napkin Jake is about to use and hand it to the man, along with my own.
“Was that not mine?” Jake pretends to look around as if he’s missing something.
“Thank you, dear. Accidents happen,” the man says.
His wife’s scowl indents further, so I back off and sit back down.
“My napkin?” Jake says.
“Sorry, it was an emergency.” I stand up to head to the counter and grab him a handful of napkins.
On my way back, I spot Mae glancing across the table at my phone, which I accidentally left face up, as the screen lights up.
It happens like it’s in slow motion—me trying to get back to the table while a crowd of people walk toward me. I say excuse me, slide past the strangers, unable to reach the table fast enough. Mae’s eyes widen in shock. She’s probably staring at a picture of Enzo’s dick. My only saving grace is that Jake still looks clueless. Until he leans forward to drink his Coke.
“Excuse me.” I dance to the right then to the left with a man who seems to feel just as awkward as I do with us being unable to get by one another.
When I finally reach the table, I drop the stack of napkins, but I’m too late. They’re both gaping at me.
“It’s true?” Mae’s tone holds a hint of judgment.
I slump into my chair, pushing my sandwich to the middle of the table because I won’t be finishing it now.
My phone vibrates with text after text. Damn Enzo and his inability to have any patience. I pick up my phone to see exactly what they saw.
* * *
Enzo: I’m still waiting.
Enzo: Don’t worry, I’ll close the blinds when I’m eating “lunch”.
Enzo: FYI… I’m calling bullshit on the once a week thing. I’m coming over tonight.
Enzo: Your silence will only resort in me having to use my best teasing practices tonight.
* * *
Well, at least they didn’t see his dick. Though Mae would have appreciated it because it’s a beautiful thing. I was never a lover of the male anatomy until Enzo, but his manhood is like a work of art. That I know what it feels like when he fills me probably adds to my admiration.
Mind out of the gutter, Annie.
Back to Operation “Make my friends keep their mouths shut.”
I lean forward with my hands splayed across the table. “You can’t tell anyone.”
Mae smiles. She’s enjoying this too much. “So your gut led you there?”
“Yeah.”
She throws a fry at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I sulk in my chair, looking at Jake from the corner of my eye. “Because I have no idea where it’s going. And hello, I’m sleeping with the boss while trying to get promoted. I’m officially the stupidest person in the world and a disgrace to all women.”
“That’s a tad dramatic,” Mae says, crossing her arms. She eyes Jake. “You’re pretty quiet.”
He shrugs. “I figured it out the day the blinds were shut.”
“What? No, you didn’t.” I sit up straighter in my chair.
He wipes his hands on the napkins I brought him. “You came out and the button on your blouse was undone and your cheeks were flushed. You’d just been stranded for a night on the way back from Texas. It’s really not that hard to figure out.”
“Do you think badly of me?” I cringe, waiting for his answer.
He sips his drink and places it back on the table without a glance my way. “No, but I don’t see it ending well for you. I think you’re going to be the one on the sidewalk with a box, not him.”
I blow out a breath. That’s my worst fear, but Enzo hasn’t given me any special treatment at work.
My phone vibrates again, but I don’t pick it up.
“You better read it. I’ll be living through you until this whole affair ends.” Mae chuckles.
I lean back in my seat, her words soaking in. Affair and end. My friends don’t see a possibility that this thing with Enzo could go the distance. The thought shouldn’t bother me. He told me he’d try, and he is.
I push away Mae and Jake’s negative thoughts. They know the Enzo I did from before, not the Enzo I know now.
I open the door to my condo. Enzo’s big body makes my apartment feel even smaller.
“It’s colorful, like you said.”
“You’re the one who insisted on coming.” I grab the pizza from his hands, and he follows me into the kitchen.
“It’s you. It suits your personality.” He looks around every nook and cranny.
“That’s what happens when you decorate it yourself.” I smile and he mocks offense.
We both know he doesn’t care.
My galley kitchen isn’t anything to rave about. There’s barely enough room for the two of us to be in here together. I grab the six-pack of beer from him and put it in the fridge.
He picks up a picture frame from my entry table. Beth, my dad, and me when I was in high school. “Beautiful as always.”
He knows how to make someone feel special.
“No mom?” he asks.
“She was already out of my life by then.” I put the pizza on the table and a beer on either side before sitting on the couch. I pat the spot next to me. “Stop prying.”
“Hey, it’s my first time here and I haven’t even seen the bedroom yet.” He ventures down the shortest hallway ever.
I follow because him being in my condo feels weird. I keep thinking there’s something embarrassing I forgot to put away.
He’s already exploring my bedroom, his eyes scouring every surface. The room is so small there really isn’t any space for extras.
“Where the magic happens?” He points at the bed with his usual smirk.
“No magic has ever happened on that bed except for me and my toys.” I cross my arms with a smug grin and lean against the door frame.
“Toys?” He opens the drawer next to my bed.
“Might as well give up, you’ll never find them.”
He stops searching and walks over to me. “Can I play with your toys too?” His lips fall to my shoulder before his mouth travels up to mine. “I promise to treat them with respect.”
I laugh, but he swivels me around, guiding me to the bed.
“What about dinner?” I ask.
“I’m more in the mood for something else.”
I fall back onto the mattress and bounce up. Enzo bends down and slides my box out from under the bed. Damn him.
“How did you know?”
“When are you going to realize I’m brilliant?” He flashes a smile that makes me want to strip before he sets the box on the nightstand. He pulls the lid from the top and pulls out my favorite vibrator. “Ladies’ choice?” He turns it on as though it’s not his first time using one.
I face-palm myself. Of course, it’s not his first time. “That’s the Unicorn Cock.”
He rests it on his palm, testing out the four speeds and two pulses. His hands fall to my inner thighs and he pushes my legging-clad thighs apart then puts the vibrator right between my legs. My head falls back. I love the sensation of having it on my clit without me being the one guiding it.
“We need to get you naked so I can watch you use it.”
He helps me get unclothed, then it’s my turn to help him. I sit naked on the edge of the bed and unbutton his jeans, pushing them down his legs. I stare up at him while I rub his rigid length through his boxers. His fingers thread through my hair in a way that feels possessive and at the same time loving. He’s clearly struggling to not push my mouth to him.
“I want to watch,” he says in a thick voice laced with need. He steps out of his jeans and boxer briefs and strips off his shirt, revealing more of his perfect body. He nods toward the head of the bed. “Go on.”
I crawl up and situat
e myself, propped with pillows behind me, my legs partly open. Enzo sits on the bottom half of the bed, his hand already tugging his cock. He picks up the vibrator, turns it to level one, and hands it to me.
I flush from embarrassment but somehow, I’m not uncomfortable when I bring the toy to my nipple. My greedy gaze lands on Enzo as his fist runs up and down his cock languidly like he wants us to take our time.
I trail the vibrator over to my other nipple, the sensation only more intense with Enzo watching. My eyes close briefly and I struggle to watch him because he’s growing harder and making noises. I move it down my stomach, teasing myself by slowly putting it between my legs then moving it before I can come.
“Jesus, you’re so damn beautiful,” he says and his pace increases.
I wouldn’t have thought watching him jerk off would turn me on but let me tell you—it is such a turn-on.
Our eyes lock and I slide the tip of the vibrator down to my slit, bucking from pleasure. Enzo’s eyes hood and he slides up the bed. He grabs my breast, his thumb and forefinger twisting my nipple.
“I tried to just watch, but I gotta touch.”
The way he tells me exactly what he’s thinking turns up the notch on my impending ecstasy. I arch my back, welcoming him, but the longer the vibrator is on my clit, the closer I am to climaxing.
“I don’t want to come before you. Get inside me,” I beg.
He stares at my body writhing on the bed. I can’t contain the desire flooding every vein in my body.
“Please, Enzo,” I say the two words that are his undoing.
His hand leaves my breast, and he rips open the condom from his pants that he abandoned on the floor. He situates himself at my center, holds his dick, and guides it into me. I watch from below, positioning the vibrator on my clit again. Enzo increases the speed two more levels and my walls clench the minute he’s fully inside me.
Forbidden Desires Page 32
