by Maggie Cole
With a cocky smile, I lick my lips at her. “First, upstairs so I can ravage you. After that, I owe you a date.”
She winks at me, “Aye aye, Boss!”
27
Piper
When I walk back out of our office, I’m getting funny stares. I knew there was going to be office talk once they found out about Noah and me, and it wasn’t the plan to kiss him in front of everyone, but I’d been counting down the minutes all day, worrying about him.
All Saturday night, the girls pumped me full of confidence, telling me to stop stressing about what the office was going to think and reinforcing that the only important thing was my relationship with Noah.
They were right, and I knew it, so when I saw Noah, I couldn’t help it.
Now, I try to ignore the smirks and whispers, but finally, I hold my hands up. “HR has the form. If you’ve got any questions, this is your only chance to ask.”
Mary, one of the busybodies, is the first to speak up. “Did you light the flame in New York or before?”
“Before. Next question.”
She smirks at Ted, who sits next to her. “You owe me ten bucks.”
“Did you get personal before or after he gave you his desk?” Ginger asks.
“Before,” I hear Noah say behind me.
I turn around and scan his eyes. They are slightly amused, and he walks over to me, sits against the desk then puts his arms around me so I’m leaning against his body.
“Did you request Piper be moved into your office?” Cindy, another busybody raises her eyebrows at Noah.
Noah shakes his head. “No, I did not. Bennett made her move, and I’m surprised I’m still standing here alive.”
The office erupts in laughter, and I glare at Noah but am smiling.
“Crap,” Cindy mumbles.
Tanya, who sits next to her, holds out her hand. Cindy passes her some bills.
“Jeez, how many bets have you all placed?” I ask them.
“Oh, just a few.” Ginger smirks.
Noah pulls me in tighter to him and takes a deep breath. “Okay. What else?”
“So you two kind of have a love-hate thing going on?” Keil asks.
Noah and I glance at each other, not sure how to answer that, then bite back our smiles.
“I win!” Keil holds his hand out to Cindy.
“Shoot. I’m not doing too well,” Cindy mutters.
“It’s Piper’s fault,” Noah insists.
I jerk my head up at him. He’s got a cocky grin on his face.
“Excuse me?” I say.
He laughs. “Has anyone seen Piper glare at me?”
All the hands in the office go up.
“Has anyone seen me glare at Piper?”
Everyone’s hands go down.
Noah smiles at me. “See, it’s not me.”
“Seriously?”
He winks at me, and I roll my eyes.
“Did you pick Piper to work on your projects, or did she request it?” Bryan asked.
I’m about to answer when I hear, “No, I made that decision because I wanted her to learn more about mergers and acquisitions for the new VP role she is going to be taking over. Neither Noah nor Piper knew or were happy about it when I made them aware.”
Noah and I turn, and Bennett is behind us.
Bryan pumps his arm then holds his hand out. “Pay up, Mary.”
I stare at Bennett. “Did you just say...”
He smiles at me and nods. “I was going to announce this later, but you all can know now. Piper is going to be the newest, and youngest ever, I might add, VP of the firm, heading up our new mergers and acquisitions department.”
I’m stunned, and I think my mouth is hanging open.
The office erupts in applause and congratulations. They are all genuinely happy for me. I slowly gaze up at Noah, who’s grinning at me.
Did he know about this?
Noah kisses me on the cheek. “Congrats. Well-earned.”
I still don’t know what to say. My heart is racing, and I’m in shock, as I didn’t expect this, especially when we haven’t finished the deals we’ve been working on.
Bennett sternly asks, “Any other questions for Noah or Piper? Last chance then this is being put to rest.”
No one says anything. Bennett is a fun boss, but he’s still the boss.
Noah stands up straighter. “Okay, then. Piper, finish up with Bryan so we can go.”
Bryan waves at me. “Already finished. You kids go have fun.”
“Yeah, go have fun.” Mary smirks.
“Ah, to be young again,” Cindy says.
I try not to laugh as I catch Noah’s eye. Looking around the room, I realize I’m at least fifteen years younger than everyone, and Noah is about ten. Everyone seems genuinely happy for us. And they are excited about my promotion. It feels strange, but it becomes clear that I was worried all the time about nothing. Besides a bit of fun, everyone is happy for us.
Hmm. This is weird but actually nice.
“Great. Well, I’m taking my girlfriend out on a hot date to celebrate her promotion, so if anyone has any work they need us to do, don’t expect it done until tomorrow,” Noah cockily tells them.
My face flushes at the thought of a hot date with Noah.
Teasing sounds fill the room, and Noah puts his hand on my back and leads me over to the elevator. We get in, I ask, “Did that seriously just happen?”
He is laughing so hard he’s crying. “That went way better than I thought it would.”
“I won’t disagree.”
His eyes are beaming at me. “You’re going to make a great VP, Piper.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Thanks. Did you know that was happening?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. That was all Bennett.”
I tilt my head and squint at him. “You had nothing to do with that?”
“Besides giving Bennett glowing reviews of how smart and amazing you are, I did not know he was going to announce that. I didn’t doubt you were getting promoted, but I didn’t know it was coming today. I’m not upset about that, though, are you?”
I laugh. “Nope.”
Pulling me into him, he kisses me. “Good. I guess you’re stuck with me now. Can’t use your career or what the office thinks as an excuse anymore.”
“I already told you, I wasn’t planning on getting rid of you.”
As promised, Noah spends a few hours ravishing me. We shower, and, after I put on my makeup and diffuse my hair, I ask him, “Where are we going?”
“At the risk of sounding touristy, I booked us a table at The Signature Room in the John Hancock Building.”
“That’s a nice place. Why do you seem nervous?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know Chicago. I’m not sure where the good places are.”
I stand up and put my arms around his waist. “I’m going to have to break you in.”
“Break me in? That sounds kind of fun. Yes, please break me in.” He wiggles his brows at me.
“Ha, ha! Get your dick out of your brain!”
He holds his hands up. “What am I supposed to think when you say that to me?”
“Funny. I meant break you into the Chicago scene.”
“Whenever you want to break me in, I’m a willing participant,” he teases some more.
Shaking my head, I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, though, is that too touristy of a place?”
“It’s a great place. I’ll go there whenever you want to take me there.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
His face relaxes.
“Noah, I do have a problem.”
His face scrunches with worry. “What’s that?”
“I don’t have anything appropriate to wear. I need to go over to my place.”
He releases a breath. “Okay. Throw on some clothes, and we’ll stop on the way.”
“All right.” I choose a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and quickly put th
em on.
Noah goes into his closet and comes out in a pair of black dress pants, a fitted shirt, and a sport coat.
“Wow. You look hot,” I gush at him as my pulse goes up a few notches.
He slightly flushes, which I haven’t really seen before, but think it’s cute.
I pull him down for a quick kiss. “Mmm, you smell so good,” I murmur against him.
He laughs. “Let’s go before I decide to order takeout and keep you in all night.”
“We can do that,” I tease him.
“Don’t tempt me, Piper.” He clasps my hand and leads me out of the penthouse. The bodyguards stand up and follows us into the elevator. When we get outside, the car is waiting.
It doesn’t take long to get to my building. Noah and the bodyguards come up with me. When we get inside my place, Noah surveys the room. “Your apartment is nice, Piper.”
I tilt my head at him. “It’s kind of strange that you’ve never been in here besides to pick up my luggage, isn’t it?”
“You didn’t invite me over.”
“Sorry.” I wince.
“I’ll forgive you. Now go get ready so we aren’t late.” He gives me a little slap on the ass.
I decide on a red bodycon dress, some jewelry, and a pair of red stilettos I’ve been dying to wear. I grab a clutch and throw my phone and ID into it.
As I stand in my closet, I pause. “Hey, Noah?”
“Yeah?” He walks through my bedroom door and stops. “Wow.” He checks me out and licks his lips as a smoldering expression crosses his face.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach. “How long am I staying at your place?”
“Forever?” He grins at me.
I decide he’s joking. “Am I going to be there a few days? If so, I need more work clothes.”
“Yes.” He doesn’t hesitate and checks me out again.
“I’m going to pack some work clothes. You go wipe your drool,” I tease.
“I’m so fucking you in those stilettos tonight,” he seriously states.
My lower body pulses at the thought. “Glad you approve, Mr. Parker.”
“Oh, I definitely approve.” He winks at me with a boyish grin.
I get another suitcase and I add my purse and some other work outfits in it and come out.
Noah takes my bag from me and bends down to kiss me. “You’re smoking hot, Piper,” he huskily says, sending a jolt through my system.
Heat creeps up my neck, and I softly laugh. “Let’s go.”
Noah clasps my hand, and we quickly make our way down to the car. Once in the car, he puts his arm around me and pulls me into his chest. His fingers graze my thigh, igniting a surge of tingles directly to my sex. “I missed you,” he mumbles in my ear, while his tongue flicks my lobe.
He’s already given me several orgasms today, but I shiver against him and inhale sharply. I turn my head and stare in his dark eyes. “I missed you. I was really worried about you, Noah.”
His lips brush mine. “No more worries. I’m here, safe and sound.”
I stroke his cheek. “How do we know if Kramer is still coming after you or not?”
“He has nothing to come after me about yet.”
Yet. The word hangs in the air like a bad omen.
“Noah—”
He puts his finger over my lips. “Shh. We’re celebrating your promotion tonight. I have to figure out a way to make this all happen differently than I initially thought. It’s not going to get solved tonight. Let me take you on one decent date, Piper.”
“You already took me on an awesome date,” I tell him.
Noah snorts. “You call almost boxing our dinner up, being followed, ditching bad guys, and hanging out in a hotel business center waiting for bodyguards to come protect us an awesome date?”
Leaning in, I kiss Noah then pull back. “I remember you taking me to La Tease, introducing me to Kip Carter, and making out with you at the chef’s table in between courses. So yeah, I call that a pretty awesome date.” I stroke Noah’s hair above his ear.
“I didn’t say it sucked, but I’m hoping to avoid the extra drama tonight.”
I nod. “Fair enough.”
The car stops in front of the John Hancock Building. One of the bodyguards opens the door, and Noah gets out then reaches in to assist me out. We enter the building when he leans down and whispers, “You’re beautiful, Piper.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. I glance up at Noah, and he’s intensely staring at me like he wants to devour me right here.
“You should wear stilettos more often, too.” He grins.
“Do you have a foot fetish I’m not aware of?” I tease.
“I might have a stiletto one after tonight.” He licks his lips then tastes mine before guiding me into the elevator.
His smell is intoxicating, and he pulls me so I’m standing flush against his body. He kisses the top of my head.
The elevator opens, we step off, and Noah gives his name to the hostess. We go in the bar area to wait until our table is ready.
“Piper?” I turn around and my old friend from college is grinning at me.
“Dawn!” We hug.
“This is Dan.” She points to the guy standing next to her.
We shake hands. “Nice to meet you. This is Noah.”
Noah shakes their hands.
“How long has it been, Piper?” Dawn asks me.
I wrack my brain. “Probably two years?”
“Too long.”
“Agree. So what are you up to these days?”
“I’m running a nonprofit.” She beams.
“Wow! Congratulations!”
“Are you still in finance?”
I nod. “I’m still at Bennett Parker.”
“She just got promoted to vice president of our mergers and acquisition department,” Noah boasts.
Heat crawls up my neck.
“Piper! Wow! That’s amazing!” Dawn gushes.
“Congratulations.” Dan smiles and nods.
“Thanks.”
“She’s the youngest VP in the history of the firm,” Noah adds.
My face is now burning. I catch his eye, and he gives me a “what” expression.
“Wow. That’s incredible, Piper. You always were super smart.”
“Okay, enough about me. What’s new with you?”
Dawn takes a sip of her wine. “Just been swamped, learning all about co-ops.”
“Co-ops?”
Dan speaks up. “The nonprofit is interested in creating co-ops for different social, economic, and cultural issues. The members technically own and operate the co-ops, but the nonprofit would act on the board for governance.”
“That sounds exciting,” I say.
Dawn’s face lights up. “With co-ops, people can identify unmet needs and come together to take ownership of their problems and solve them at the same time. They can thrive and no longer be victims of the social, economic, or cultural burdens currently on them.”
“Sounds like you do great work,” Noah comments right as the hostess touches his arm in a flirty manner.
Dawn raises her brow at me.
I roll my eyes. Then, she pulls out her card and hands it to me. “Call me and let’s have lunch and catch up.”
“Sounds great.” I hug her, and we all exchange goodbyes.
Noah puts his hand on my back and leads me to the table. The hostess gives him one last flirty arm rub, tosses her blonde hair, and giggles.
I scrunch my face at her.
Noah sits next to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. “Was that a jealous look I just saw?”
My face is inches from his. “More like annoyed.”
He tries to bite back a smile but changes the subject. “Your friend seems nice.”
“Yes. I haven’t talked to her in a long time. We used to be fairly close but moved in different circles after college.”
Noah nods. “I have a few friends like that. It’s always good to catch up thou
gh.”
“Yes. I need to make sure I call and schedule that lunch with her.”
“I’ll remind you if you want.”
I wiggle my eyebrow at him and smile. “You want to be my secretary?”
Noah grins. “Is this one of your fantasies?”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “You’re so dirty.”
“You love it when I’m dirty.” His fingers graze my thighs and move to the inside.
Well, I can’t argue that.
The waitress comes over. “Hi, I’m Taylor. What can I get you to drink?”
Noah glances at me. “Champagne?”
“Sure.”
“Bottle of Cristal,” Noah replies.
The waitress bats her eyes at him and pats his shoulder. “Great choice, sir.”
He gives her a polite smile, and she giggles then walks away.
“Jesus, I’m going to have to keep you on a leash,” I mutter.
Noah’s head jerks toward me. “No leash needed. I don’t stray.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything about you. It was directed toward all the women who can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves tonight. I mean, I know you’re hot and all but jeez.”
A cocky grin appears on Noah’s face. He leans into me. “Didn’t know you were so possessive, Piper.”
I smirk at him. “You don’t want me to be?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. I’m totally fine with it.”
“Truth comes out,” I tease him.
Noah strokes my face then crushes his lips to mine. He slowly explores my mouth with his tongue while moving his hand up my inner thigh.
“Ahem.” The waitress clears her throat and pulls us out of our kisses.
I smirk cockily at her.
She sets up the ice bucket, pours two glasses of Cristal, and quickly leaves.
“To the youngest VP ever.” Noah clinks his glass against mine.
My cheeks heat.
“Why are you turning red?” Noah asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not used to people boasting about me.”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to it, then,” he teases.
“No. You don’t have to.”
He sets his glass down. “It’s a big deal, Piper. And I’m proud of you.”
My heart flutters, but I turn away. His expression is too intense. I’m not used to others gushing about me or telling me they are proud of me. And I don’t doubt he is because I see it in his eyes.
