Hard Copy: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Tech Titans Book 3)

by Marcella Swann

  “Oh god, I really need to go,” Hayden said, putting his hand against his lower stomach. “I think that was a contraction!” This earned him more stares from other customers and I fought a laugh.

  “A contraction?” Judy asked, amusing lacing her voice.

  “Don’t laugh! I can’t help that I’m such a sympathetic person,” he defended himself.

  “We better get you out of here,” Gigi said, grabbing him by the elbow and steering him toward the door.

  “Wait, you drove me here,” Judy called out, but Gigi acted like she didn’t hear the words as the door swung shut behind them. Looking out the window, we could see the two of them talking to each other in the parking lot, wearing big smiles on their faces. They shared a high-five and I rolled my eyes.

  “They’re trying to hook us up, aren’t they?” Judy asked.

  I nodded.

  “Well, we might as well eat while we’re here. They have the best chicken salad sandwiches around,” she took a seat and I settled in across from her.

  I let my eyes run over her. Her blonde hair was pulled up off her face and I was glad I could see her features.. She bit her lip as she stared down at her menu in contemplation. She was so damn beautiful.

  Her outfit was the typical Judy get-up. The dress she was wearing had bright red and yellow swirled together, creating a marbled pattern across her body. Her nails were painted a matching red color.

  “What are you gonna get?” she asked.

  “What?” I asked, leaning forward as if I didn’t hear her.

  “I said, what are you getting to eat?”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.,” She looked frustrated and confused. We were only two feet away from each other. I grinned. “It must be because your outfit is too loud.”

  Judy froze for a second, with her mouth hanging open comically, before tilting her head back and letting a loud laugh. It was a joyous sound and I was proud to have caused it. I found myself smiling broadly in response.

  Chapter Nine: Heat

  “You’re an ass,” I told him when my laughter had died down. There was no venom in my voice though.

  “Well, look at that dress. I could see it coming from a mile away.”

  “Well, excuse the fuck outta me for trying to incorporate some color into life.” I gestured to his suit. “You know there are colors other than black, right?”

  “Hey, my shirt is white,” he said, holding open his jacket so I could see the flawlessly white shirt he was wearing. I could make out the outline of his pecs beneath the fabric.

  “Indeed, it is. You’ve proven me wrong,” I replied sarcastically.

  “At least you can admit it. Listen,” J.D. leaned forward and got serious suddenly. “I need you to help me with something.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want to find a great charity to give money to.”

  “Really?”

  “Why do sound so surprised?”

  “I don’t know. It just came out of nowhere.”

  “I want to give to those that need it. I have more money than I could spend on myself, even if I tried. I want to help people. I know it’s not exactly volunteering or starting a charity myself, I’ve decided to give away a hundred million dollars.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. The amount of good that money could do…

  “What kind of charity do you have in mind?”

  “I was actually going to leave that up to you.”

  “What?”

  “You know more about charities and doing good than anyone else I know. I trust your judgement.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, amazed.

  “Absolutely. Just pick something that really matters, not something like art. I want this money to change lives.

  “No problem.”

  The waitress came by and we ordered lunch. A comfortable silence settled between us and I looked out the window. I usually couldn’t relax like this and enjoy the quiet with other people. I always felt a need to fill the silence with chatter of some sort.

  My sandwich arrived, and I dug in. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the food was in front of me. Before I knew it, I had polished off the sandwich and was working on my fries. J.D. had barely started eating at all. Oh well, I wasn’t one of those girls that acted like she didn’t eat real food because she was with a guy. No small salads for me.

  While finishing my food, I contemplated our situation. It was no secret that our previous fling had been steamy. I wanted to revisit that. A good tumble between the sheets might be just what the doctor ordered. I had noticed J.D. shooting lust-filled looks my way, but would he be open to the idea of acting on it? Only one way to find out.

  “So, should we go ahead and talk about it?” I asked out of the blue.

  “Talk about what?” he asked, taking a sip of his soda.

  “Sex.”

  J.D. jumped slightly and spluttered on his drink. His eyes watered as he had a coughing fit. I felt a little bad as I waited for him to recover.

  “What?” he croaked when he was finally able to catch his breath.

  “We need to stop beating around the bush here. It’s just making things awkward. There’s clearly still an attraction between us. I mean, come on, the sex was awesome.”

  “Uh, how are you guys doing over here?” the waitress asked. I didn’t realize that she had arrived as I was talking. There was a faint blush on her cheeks.

  “We’re okay. Thanks.” J.D. responded, and she hurried away. “I come here a lot. Could you not traumatize the staff?”

  “Sorry,” I said with a grimace.

  “I think we need to get you back to your office.”

  “Okay,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

  He pulled out his wallet and threw some cash onto the table without bothering to count it. I had no doubt that he had not only covered the bill but left a hell of a tip for our poor waitress.

  I followed him to his car and he drove to So Good. His whole body seemed tense and I could see that his knuckles were white from his strong grip on the steering wheel. Now, the silence was awkward. Ten minutes later, he pulled into a parking space outside of So Good and I hesitated to get out. J.D. wasn’t looking at me at all. His eyes were stubbornly focused on his steering wheel, his brow furrowed.

  “J.D.,” I said his name softly. I had thought it would be best to air it all out. It hadn’t occurred to me that he would react like this, shutting himself down from me. It was definitely not the best case scenario.

  With a sigh, he turned off the car and finally looked at me. His expression was blank. “We should go inside to talk.”

  I just nodded and led the way into the building. Elliott’s desk was empty, and I was glad that Gigi had sent him home. There was an uneasy air around me that he would have immediately picked up on. Scanning the room, I didn’t see Gigi. I supposed she must still be at SXz.

  Picking up my pace, I made a beeline for the board room with J.D. hot on my heels. Closing the door behind me, I turned around, prepared to clear the air with J.D. If we had to resume this unspoken longing thing, then I guess that’s better than nothing. Clearly, trying to talk about it had been a mistake.

  Before I could speak, I found myself pushed up against the door. I gasped as J.D. pressed the length of his body against mine. Taking that opportunity, he covered my mouth with his own, thrusting his tongue inside to taste me. I felt my entire body come to life as his hands ran down my sides. My shock was just beginning to wear off when I heard him turn the lock on the door, ensuring our privacy.

  I moaned deeply when he ground himself into me and I felt his erection against my lower stomach. I brought my hands up and entangled them into his dark hair, pulling slightly until our kiss broke and we were looking into each other’s eyes.

  “You think I can just talk about this?” he asked, breathlessly. “No, no talking. I’m so sick of talking. I need to feel you.”

  I nodded and pressed my lips to his once again. J.D.
pulled me away from the door and laid me out on the conference table, shoving the rolling chairs out of the way so he could position himself between my legs. Moving quickly, he stripped off his suit jacket and untucked his shirt. His movements were almost frantic, but I understood. Now that we had started, my desperate need for him was uncontrollable.

  Lowering himself over me, he trailed wet kisses down my neck, cupping my breasts with his hands. I arched my back and grabbed his shirt, wrenching it open. Buttons went flying, but it didn’t matter. I had to feel his skin against my own.

  J.D. lifted himself off me and pulled the shirt from his body, flinging it to the side carelessly. I ran my hands over the smooth skin of his chest, feeling the hard muscles and the deep ridges of his abs. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him back down to me.

  As our lips reconnected, I felt his hands run along the length of my legs. When he reached my panties, he didn’t hesitate to grasp them and yank them off. He roughly grabbed my ankles and pulled me until my butt was at the edge of the table. Everything was happening so fast, I felt like I could barely keep up. Luckily, my body was reacting on instinct.

  Lifting my right leg, he planted a soft kiss to the inside of my ankle. Maintaining eye contact, he continued to kiss along my leg, working his way up until he reached my thigh. Then, kneeling, he draped my legs over his shoulders.

  With him so close to my core, I felt a tingling sensation begin to spread from the area that his lips touched. The pleasure increased the closer he got to my slit and I couldn’t hold still. His big hands gripped my hips and held me in place as I squirmed.

  The kissing stopped when he was just inches from my core. Suddenly, things had slowed way down. It was torture. I lifted my head to see what he was doing. As soon as he saw me watching, he gently blew on my wet folds, causing my hips to buck and desperate need to fill me.

  “Please,” I moaned. I couldn’t articulate anything else. All I knew in this moment was that I would do anything to keep him going. I would beg if I had to.

  J.D. didn’t make me beg. Instead he dove forward, burying his face between my legs. As he tasted me, he let out a groan, creating a vibrating sensation that stole my breath. His grip on my hips was so tight that I was sure it would leave bruises, but I liked it. The pleasure was overwhelming in its intensity.

  Then he inserted a finger inside of me, pumping it in and out. I bit my lip hard to avoid making too much noise. I could feel myself getting wetter as he lapped at me. I was panting and bucking my hips.

  It was all too much. The sensations were causing a building pressure that was escalating. Heat spread throughout my body and I was close to going over the edge.

  “Oh my god, Judy,” J.D. murmured from between my legs.

  That did it. Hearing his voice, so full of desire yet muffled because his face was pressed against me, caused me to finally reach the climax I had been working toward. The world seemed to explode in a burst of light as I orgasmed into his mouth.

  When I finally came back down to earth, after several minutes of riding the high, J.D. looked up at me with a cocky grin stretched across his face. My whole body collapsed into a blissful relaxed state. I couldn’t believe how much I needed that.

  “I hate to break it to you,” J.D. said, standing to his full height and unbuttoning his pants, “but we’re not done yet.”

  Chapter Ten: Connected

  I hadn’t planned this. Despite my musings on the topic of “friends with benefits,” I wasn’t going to act on it. Then she had to bring up the elephant in the room.

  For some reason, the second she acknowledged the attraction I could barely hold myself back. That verbal confirmation amped up my desire for her. If I could’ve dropped her at work and left, maybe it would have been possible to bury the attraction again. I couldn’t do it, though. I didn’t want to.

  She was too tempting. Now, in the dimly lit board room, with her spread out on the table before me and the taste of her orgasm still on my lips, I couldn’t stop until I was inside her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were curved in a satisfied smile as she watched me kick off my pants.

  I stood before her, my hard length bare to her gaze. She sat up, her eyes glued to my erection. Pulling her off the table, I kissed her again, moaning when she ran her tongue along my lips, tasting herself. She was too sexy, I couldn’t stand it.

  “I need you,” I said, turning her around and directing her to bend over the table.

  She obliged, and I wasted no time in lifting her dress up. I quickly pulled out a condom, glad that I carried one in my wallet. Slipping it on, I stepped closer to Judy. She spread her legs for me and I guided my tip to her entrance. I paused, and she turned her head, looking at me over her shoulder. There was a hunger in her eyes that told me she wanted this just as much as I did.

  I slammed my hips forward, joining us in a rough motion that caused us both to cry out. Distantly hoping no one could hear us, I withdrew and immediately thrust forward again. I was overloaded with sensation as her body took all of me in, but I still wanted more.

  Establishing a pounding rhythm, I reached forward and pulled the tie out of her hair. Grabbing a fistful of her long blonde hair, I pulled slightly while working myself in and out of her. She mewled in pleasure, meeting each of my thrusts with one of her own.

  It was rapid and almost brutal, but we needed it. We had been yearning for each other for too long and this was the result. The desperate craving was overpowering. My body had taken over my mind and I felt like I was just along for the ride.

  “Yes, J.D. Yes, yes, yes.” Judy was whimpering, and I felt her tightening around me. Gripping her hips, I thrust even harder than I thought was possible. I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the orgasm I needed.

  “Oh, fuck,” I cried out as I felt myself explode at the same time she reached her second orgasm. I held her tightly as I emptied myself within her. My heart was racing in my chest and I was panting. For a moment, the only sound in the room was our labored breathing. I had never felt more satisfied.

  Then, just as I pulled myself from her body, the deep reverberating tone filled the space. The rumble caused us both to freeze for a second, then the sound of cheering erupted from the office. Judy giggled.

  “Very good job Mr. Stallworth. The office seems to approve,” Judy said, turning to me with a mischievous smile.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “The gong. One of our couples must have gotten engaged.”

  I considered her response for a minute, then let out a deep belly laugh at the timing of such a thing.

  After the gong sounded, I got dressed as much as I could. My shirt was ruined, but I couldn’t care less. It just showed how much Judy wanted me. Having never removed her dress, she pulled her panties back on and tried to smooth her hair. It still had a noticeable disheveled look to it, but our options were limited here.

  “I guess now we should have that talk,” she said, taking a seat and folding her hands on the table in front of her. It was ironic to see her like this, with her obvious sex-hair, in the room where we had attended so many meetings together.

  “I suppose,” I replied, taking a seat myself. I really wasn’t looking forward to a where is this going conversation.

  “I know this doesn’t change anything.”

  Once again, Judy was demonstrating her unique skill of knowing what I was thinking. It was slightly unnerving.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “This was so fucking amazing, but it can’t be more than sex.”

  She nodded. I thought I saw a flash of sadness cross her face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. I hoped I had imagined it.

  “I didn’t expect more from you.”

  I didn’t know what to make of Judy right now. She was agreeing with me, but she seemed subdued somehow. I didn’t particularly like it.

  “Would you want to continue with this? On a casual basis?” I asked, hoping she would agree. I’d had a taste, and now I wanted so
much more. It was just as good as I remembered, maybe even better.

  “Yeah, I think so. At least until one of us gets into a relationship,” she replied thoughtfully.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I said, not liking that thought one bit. Yet, I flat-out refused to examine the feelings behind it too closely.

  “Just one more thing,” Judy said, with an uncharacteristic seriousness. “I don’t think we should tell anyone about this.”

  “Why?”

  “Gigi, your brother, everyone else…they’re gonna expect this to be more than it is. It will become speculated over and analyzed to death. You want-we want-to keep this casual, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then no one needs to know but us.”

  I couldn’t disagree, but I felt like I was her dirty little secret. It wasn’t a great feeling. I couldn’t help thinking that the afterglow from this encounter had faded fast. It was disappointing, but I was pretty sure that I was somehow to blame.

  Chapter Eleven: Opening Up

  “This is gorgeous,” I said, looking around the botanical garden. There were plants and trees carefully placed throughout the space. The flowers had bloomed, and bright colors were dotted among all the greenery. Tall trees along the periphery of the garden provided plenty of shade.

  It had been a week since our romp in the boardroom and J.D. and I were scouting locations for the engagement party. Most places had been booked for months, but I had pulled some strings and called in a few favors.

  This particular location was owned and maintained by Stanford’s Botanical Club. They had thrown a fundraiser last month and part of the event’s success was because of So Good’s clients volunteering. They were happy to accommodate my request to use their garden.

  “It is nice,” J.D. said, looking around with his hands in his pockets. There was a small retention pond behind him that would provide a gorgeous backdrop to the party. A white gazebo at the edge of the pond was strung with small white lights. It was lovely.