Bridesmaid for Hire

by Chance Carter

  This was it. My career started right here.

  I lifted my eyes, and my jaw dropped. Standing before me was the hottest freaking man I’d ever seen in my life.

  He stood a good few inches taller than me but wasn’t gangly and skinny like most of the guys I’d met in my college class. No, he was lean and strong, the definition of his muscles visible, even through the expensive shirt he wore. His eyes were gray and striking, his jaw smattered with a dusting of stubble that looked haphazard, but I knew probably cost a bomb to keep looking as good as it did.

  He nodded at me, not smiling, and I felt my eyes widen involuntarily as I realized he was actually paying attention to me.

  It didn’t make sense. How could someone who looked like that have his attention on somebody like me?

  “Mona?”

  He spoke my name, and hearing it snapped me out of the reverie I’d put myself in.

  I shuffled my feet and cleared my throat, nodding.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  I extended my hand to him and he took it.

  As soon as our skin touched, I felt a jolt of electricity pass from his fingers to mine. Holy hell, what was it about this guy?

  “I’m really looking forward to working with you,” I began, repeating the spiel I’d practiced in my head on the way over. “I-”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  He seemed distracted.

  “I have a meeting to get to. If you speak to Andrea in HR, she’ll be able to run down everything you’ll need to do for the next couple of days, okay?”

  “Of course,” I said confidently, in spite of feeling a little breathless as I watched him grab a couple of things off his desk – a file, a notebook, and a pen.

  “Your office is in there.”

  He gestured to a door that led off the room we were currently in.

  “I’ll see you later?” I blurted before I could stop myself, and he paused to eye me for a moment, finally managing something approximating a smile.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  He nodded and went to the door. I was left standing in the middle of his office, staring at the space he had just occupied, wondering if I could have made it any more obvious that I thought he was gorgeous. He was preoccupied, though, and I’m sure he couldn’t care less about my ridiculous crush. As well he shouldn’t.

  I shook my head and moved toward the office he’d indicated was mine. I opened the door and stepped into the small room that was to be my work home for the next six months and let out a small sigh.

  Dumping my bag on the chair, I stepped over to the small window overlooking the city and let out a smile, feeling instantly more calm. It wasn’t like I was in love with the guy, I was just flustered, that was all. Nervous on my first day. Now, I had to get in touch with Andrea and figure out precisely what I was meant to do for the day.

  I got myself set up with a to-do list and plenty to keep me busy for the rest of the day. Oliver wasn’t anywhere to be found, and his schedule told me he was in meetings all day.

  A couple of times, I heard him ducking back into his office for something or other, but I knew sticking my head out to see if he needed anything would only cause me to get under his feet, and that was the last thing I wanted. The best I could do was to swim comfortably under his radar. If he noticed me, it wouldn’t be for the right reasons.

  I finished up my duties around five. I had spent the day sending out emails, getting my office set up, and putting in a couple of phone calls regarding Mr. Paulson’s personal schedule. I made sure to stay a few minutes extra before heading home.

  Yes, I was tired, but I didn’t want to look too keen to get out of there. I needed them to be goddamn sure I appreciated this job as much as I did, and I wasn’t going to take twenty extra minutes relaxing at home over that.

  I heard Oliver re-enter his office, and resolved to go once he’d left again. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then a half-hour, and I sat there in my office getting restless as I waited for him to leave.

  I checked his schedule. His meetings were done for the day, so why was he still hanging around? If I were him and ran a company this big, there would be no way in hell they could keep me in there a minute longer than they had to.

  Then again, as had often been drilled into me, it was the people who went the extra mile who did the best in the long run.

  I paced back and forth, ears pricked for the sound of the door closing as he left, but there was nothing. Eventually, after packing and repacking my bag a couple times to kill time, I hooked it over my shoulder and went for the door. I wasn’t going to hide out here like an eighth-grader eating lunch in the bathroom to avoid the mean girls. I had shit to do.

  I took a deep breath, bracing myself, and pushed the door open. Oliver glanced up at me briefly. He had been looking through papers on his desk, and I felt something in my chest seize up as I looked into those gorgeous eyes.

  Okay, I was going to need to get the hell over this crush if I had any hope of working with him like a grown adult.

  “Oh, hey,” he said. “I forgot you were here.”

  “I was just going to head home,” I managed, my voice higher than I’d heard it before. “Is there anything else you need me to do before I go?”

  “No, you’re good,” he said and turned his attention back to the papers. Although, I may have been mistaken, but I might have caught him peering at me out of the corner of his eye for a moment. Probably just checking that I was actually going already.

  “Cool.”

  I went to the door and paused for a moment before I opened it. I felt something in my stomach, some kind of force tugging me back to him. I closed my eyes and forced myself to pump the handle and walk out of there.

  As soon as I was back on the street, I shook my head and took a deep breath. I had no idea what that had been about. When had I turned into some kind of swooning school girl just because a guy was good looking? There had been plenty of impressive dudes at college, and I had managed to keep myself in check around them. That was all Oliver was – a good-looking guy. That was it.

  That’s what I told myself all the way home, on the train and the short walk back to my apartment, where I flopped down on the couch and closed my eyes, totally spent from my first day of work.

  “Hey,” Katya said when she wandered through from the kitchen, wearing her uniform and pulling her hair back. She would be doing the after-work shift, maybe even serving a few of the people I’d met in the office earlier today.

  “Hey,” I sighed, tilting my head back to look at her.

  “Good first day?”

  She smiled at me as she went on the daily hunt for her keys.

  “Yeah, it was fine,” I shrugged. “Just getting settled in.”

  “And how was Oliver?” she asked, as if it were just a casual question, but I could hear the innuendo in her voice.

  “He was a little cold, but he was super busy today, so I’m not reading too much into it,” I replied, carefully.

  I didn’t want to say anything too strong on either side, in case it somehow got back to him.

  “Is he as cute as he is in the pictures?” she teased, and I flushed.

  I hated that. It was a bad habit I couldn’t shake, a natural reaction to any kind of discomfort that I might be feeling.

  “Yeah, I guess,” I replied diplomatically. “You off to work?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, you have the place to yourself for the rest of the night.”

  She nudged me as she went by.

  “You got any plans?”

  “Just relaxing.” I yawned. “I forgot how tough it is actually having to do shit during the day.”

  “Yeah, college spoiled us a little,” she agreed, finally finding her keys. “Okay, I’m off. Have a good night. See you tomorrow?”

  “See you.”

  I waved her off without turning around, dramatically flopping down onto the couch to demonstrate I was too tired to move.

  As soon as she was gone
, I went to the kitchen to scavenge, but there was nothing I felt like eating. It was my first day at a new job, and I was tired, hungry, and would soon have more cash than I had in months. If there was any time I could justify getting takeout, it was now.

  I pulled out a pizza menu from the messy drawer above the oven, picked out a deal that sounded good, and called to place my order. Then, I ran a bath and slipped into the warm water, confident I had at least forty minutes before the food arrived. That was plenty of time to unwind and ease the pain in my tired muscles.

  I tried to clear my mind, but instead, found my thoughts drifting to Oliver. He looked so freaking good in those suits.

  I imagined what it would be like to watch him undo the buttons on his shirt, his manly hands careful and his fingers deft as he popped the buttons out on the cuff, slowly pulling the fabric open over his chest. He’d hang the shirt up carefully, maybe shooting me a look as he did so.

  My hand slid down between my legs and I closed my eyes. My fingers found my clit as I imagined him sliding into bed next to me. His skin would feel warm, and his expensive cologne would fill my senses.

  He’d trail his fingers up my bare waist, making me shiver, and he’d grin at the sight of me, so helpless at his touch. He’d lean over to kiss me, almost carefully, pushing his tongue into my mouth as he did so and moaning softly, as though he’d been waiting for the moment all day long.

  As soon as our lips met, he’d grow more dominant, rolling on top of me and sliding his hands up and down my body, hungrily as he continued to kiss me. He would be so far removed from the guys I’d hooked up with in college, so totally in control and powerful, and he’d slip his fingers between my legs.

  “You’re so wet,” he’d growl into my ear, and he’d be right. I’d be waiting for this, craving him, and I’d be so ready. His long, strong finger would slide deep into my pussy, making a beckoning motion. He’d find that oh so sensitive spot, deep within me, and tease it and coax it until my breathing sped up and I began thrusting against his hand.

  He’d have had no intentions of making me wait. He’d unbuckle his pants, and he’d take my hand and pull it to his rock-hard erection, looking me in the eyes as he did so. He’d grimace slightly with pleasure as I touched him, and I’d draw him toward my pussy, aching for him, needing him.

  I’d take his cock and squeeze it in my hand, feeling the throb of his pulse as his heart pounded for me. I’d bring the cock to the lips of my pussy and let it touch me, just enough to get the slightest little bit wet.

  Once he had a taste of me, or once his cock had a taste of my juices, I should say, there would be no stopping him. He’d be throbbing with desire, craving me so intensely that with just a few hard thrusts, he’d be cumming inside me, filling me up with his cum and making a very definite claim on me. I’d be his after that. There’s nothing that says you belong to a man like having a pussy full of his cum!

  I lifted myself up in the bathtub so that my pussy was closer to the faucet. I turned on the water and made sure the temperature was just right. As I continued to fantasize about Oliver, I let the warm jet of water wash over my clit and send pleasure searing through me.

  “Oh God,” I moaned as my body began to surrender to the pleasure that was building up inside me.

  I tried to picture, as clearly as I could in my mind, Oliver’s cock pouring it’s cum into me. I tried to imagine the way it would make him feel toward me, the way it would make him realize that I was his and he was mine. And then, in a crash of ecstasy, I was cumming.

  The orgasm rushed through me like a hurricane.

  Suddenly, the buzzer on the door sounded, ripping me straight from my fantasy and depositing me firmly back into reality. My lips parted in surprise, my eyes flipping open, and I snatched my hand out from between my legs as though I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.

  Frustrated, I dragged myself out of the bath and upright, sighing deeply as I slipped on my robe and went to the door.

  I thought they said a half-hour at least on the phone. This pizza better be damned good if it was going to make up for interrupting my completely work-inappropriate fantasy starring my new boss.

  I rolled my shoulders back, patted my hair into place as best I could, and opened the door. Back to reality.

  For now.

  Chapter 2

  Oliver

  I thought I made myself pretty fucking clear, but obviously, the message had gotten lost somewhere along the way.

  “I mean, have you seen her?” Neil said, raising his eyebrows at me from across the desk and lounging in that confident way he always does.

  I ran my fingers through my hair.

  “Of course, I fucking have,” I snapped back in his direction, irritated.

  Even though he was my business partner and we’d worked together for years, sometimes he really got under my skin.

  “And I told you I didn’t want someone like her.”

  That new secretary of mine had started the previous day, and I could already tell I was in for a rough ride. After what happened the last time, I had been pretty clear about not wanting anyone even remotely distracting, and look who they sent me.

  “Oh, come on,” Neil chided. “You worried you can’t keep your eyes on your own paper?”

  “Not at all,” I shot back, my voice a little more tense than I intended it to be. I sat down in my chair and let out an enormous sigh.

  Mona – was that her name? It was the kind of name you wanted to say over and over again, like a spell on the tip of your tongue, my lips forming into a kiss when I spoke it. She was due to start her second day any minute now, and I knew I had to get myself the fuck in order if I wanted to make sure there was no repeat of last time.

  “What did you say in the advert?” asked Neil, leaning forward, and sensing an opportunity to rip the piss out of me, no doubt. “Only uggos?”

  “Come on,” I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Look, if you can’t control yourself…”

  “I can control myself fine,” I replied firmly. “It’s just…”

  “Yeah, I know, it wasn’t exactly like you pounced on her walking down a corridor.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “Just play it a little cooler with this one, okay buddy?”

  “I will, I know,” I muttered.

  Neil got to his feet and clapped his hands together, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

  “I should get back to the office and get some work done.” He glanced at his watch. “See if you can keep your mind on track and you do the same, eh?”

  “Get outta here, asshole.”

  I waved him in the direction of the door and he grinned, clearly pleased he’d managed to get a rise out of me.

  That was how we always played it, busting each other’s balls. It was the only way to keep sane in a business like this one. It could be so easy to get all pumped up on the compliments, the adulation, and the success, so it was good to have someone around to keep my ego at bay.

  I watched him leave, then raked my fingers through my hair and attempted to focus on the papers on the desk in front of me. I knew, though, that I wouldn’t be able to relax until Mona was sitting behind closed doors in the office next to me, out of sight and out of mind.

  Neil was right. I had to keep her at arm’s length. In theory, that shouldn’t be hard. She worked for me, after all, and I’m sure the last thing she wanted was to hook up with some two-decades older man in a suit like me.

  This was surely a stepping stone to something bigger for her, and getting attached was likely the last thing on her mind. I had seen her qualifications, and I doubted Mona wanted to spend the rest of her life running around after me.

  Nevertheless, I was doing my best to make it clear that I wasn’t interested in those pouty lips of hers, or those eyes, or the way her legs looked in that slightly too-short skirt. She was a stone-cold stunner, one of those women who could have cars squealing to a halt on the street as she walked
by, even if she didn’t know it.

  It wouldn’t take long for her to figure it out, and God help the men she encountered when she did.

  The door clicked open in front of me, and my head snapped up. There she was.

  “Morning,” she said, smiling at me shyly and headed straight for her office.

  “Uh, Mona?”

  I said her name again before she could close the door behind her, and she paused. I wasn’t sure what it was I wanted to say, but I knew I wanted her to stay in the room with me for a moment longer.

  “Could you double-check my schedule for the day?” I furrowed my brow. “I want to know when the Harrelson meeting is.”

  “Of course.”

  She nodded, flashing me a dazzling smile, and started up her computer.

  I shifted in my seat and found that my gaze followed her. Shit, how did she keep doing this? Why was I so drawn to her? Maybe because she was as close to fucking perfect as I’d ever come across in my life.

  In any other circumstance, I’d have been buying her a drink and inviting her back to my apartment. As the situation was, however, I’d have to find a way to keep it firmly in my pants, because she was my fucking secretary, and like I’d be damned if I was I going through all that again.

  I was almost certain I’d laid out as much to Ann when she was getting ready to hire for the assistant position. I mean, I couldn’t come right out and say it, because it would have been a big HR deal if I had, but she’d seen what a cluster-fuck the last one turned out to be. Not that I was completely innocent in all of that, but still, I assumed she’d be a little more careful about who she’d hire for the position.

  Or maybe, just maybe, she expected someone with as much experience as I had to be able to overlook things like sex and beautiful women to focus on his damn business.

  I bet Neil convinced her to hire someone like Mona because he knew it would get to me. It seemed exactly like the kind of thing he might do – a little nudge and a wink to let me know he knew what I was capable of.