by Mia Madison
“Don’t do that,” I tell her. “That’s not why you’re here.” Then curse under my breath. “Where’s my fucking pen?”
I locate some Mont Blancs in another drawer, gifts from old clients, unused. Tania is making her way toward me, sashaying across the space between us, swinging her hips side to side as she slips the dress down over her mounds. Not so much as a flicker of interest from me despite the transparent strapless bra.
“Don’t you want to play with your Christmas Baby Momma, Daddy?” She purrs.
“No! And stop saying that, Tania,” I bark, writing out the check for her fee as fast as I can. “You know as well as I do that you aren’t pregnant.”
“I promise you I am,” She pouts, reaching behind to unhook her bra.
“Then the kid isn’t mine,” I announce, staring point blank at her as she drops her lingerie to the ground with dainty fingertips so she knows her tantalizing striptease is definitely not working.
“So that’s how you’re gonna play it?” She snaps, turning off the ‘charm’ in an instant. “Why? I’m not good enough to have your child? You’ve got someone better in mind?”
“Maybe,” I say, not wanting to get into this back alley without an exit. I just want her out of here and away from Aura.
“Don’t tell me it’s that girl I caught you showing your ice pole to back there,” she snarks, apparently catching onto my train of thought. “You must be kidding me. She’s a nothing.”
“Don’t you talk about her,” I bark. “Ever.”
“Oh my god, have you got a crush on an employee?” She says.
“It’s nothing to do with you, Tania. Take your payment and thank you for all your efforts on my party. I think it’s best that you leave now and no hard feelings.”
She bends down to retrieve her bra but doesn’t bother putting it on or covering herself up. Perhaps she thinks there’s still a chance I’ll be seduced again. Not in a frozen hell. I was an idiot to ever get involved with her that one time. Perhaps I needed a distraction from the heat burning through me for Aura and how she flatly refused to so much as look me in the eye back then.
My tangle with Tania in the underground parking lot only came about because of Aura. Her disdain for me asking the female workers to form a volunteer committee to organize the Christmas office party was the first step in the elevation of our fighting. And the first time I realized there was something growing inside of me for the woman who was completely unimpressed by my money and uninterested in the man.
“If I’d left it to any of the guys that work here, the party would comprise a keg of beer and some videos games,” I told her.
“And you think the mashed potato bar is a better idea?” Aura snapped. “Great ideas aren’t gender-related although I can see why you’d think so because every woman with ideas is splatted or told to get a husband.”
Now, a grin spreads across my face as I recall how vocal Aura was with me, completely unafraid of outright contradicting the boss. As she made it her mission to do just that at every brain-storming session after that, the chemistry between us became shockingly electric. If the nerds working for me weren’t so buried in code, they couldn’t have failed to notice all the veiled flirtations buried beneath our snarky remarks to each other.
Maybe I was to blame for her semi-humiliation over the secret Santa gift they presented her with in full view of the office yesterday. Some kind of sucking up to the leader ingratiation tactic that backfired, because the last thing I’d ever want is for Aura to feel like anything less than an absolute queen.
“That’s it isn’t it?” Tania demands with a smug but poisonous smile, like she’s uncovered my filthiest secret. “You’ve got the hots for your employee. What is she twelve?”
I’m done with this. I know enough about this type of woman to realize that if I continue to engage with her, she’ll only ramp up her paranoid fantasies until she’s got me screwing and impregnating half the typing pool.
I cross the room and yank the fabric of her dress up in an attempt to cover her while shoving the check at her with the other hand. With a swift jerk of her arms, she reaches for me, clawing and grappling my biceps and trying to plant her mouth on mine.
I’ve never hit a woman or used any force, so I’m slightly leery of manhandling her as hard as I’d like, to get her out of my office and the building. You never know, she could even be pregnant with some dude’s kid. I dodge her glossy lips as they scrape over my chin, leaving a nasty smear of her red lipstick.
“Time to go,” I grit out, turning my head away again.
It’s more important that I get her clothes back on and get her out. But she’s pretty ferocious when she wants something and we get into a full-fledged tussle. Tania uses every wrangle as an excuse to press her tits into my arms. She wriggles around so much I can’t get a grip on her wrists to hustle her out. She also won’t stop moaning and sighing, like she’s actually enjoying this.
Another loud cheer from the party echoes down the hall and my eyes fly instinctively to the door because that was way louder than it should be. Framed in the entrance I see Aura and some dude I almost recognize, staring in shock at me grappling with the topless woman in my arms.
13
Aura
This is one occasion I really should not have listened to Tai’s advice. If you can call him literally hauling me out of the party to find my boss and demand an explanation advice.
“I just wanted to share what happened with you. No way I’m going to confront him.” I squawked, amazed at how strong he is. I guess he does work out a lot so it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that he easily tugged me out through the throng of my co-workers, now dancing off-beat to the live band.
“Of course we’re going to confront him,” Tai insisted.
“We?”
“I’ll be right along. No man gets to treat women like that - isn’t that what you always say?”
“I know but,”
“But what?”
He’s right of course except in this case, I don’t want to be the one putting myself on the line. If Milo knows he hurt me, then he’ll think I have feelings for him and I don’t want him to know that.
“I’d really prefer to just get through the holidays then hand him my resignation in the New Year.”
“Not happening.” Tai waves that idea away with his free hand. I really regret spilling all the details. First he was agog at the spanking and the icicle, then outraged that Milo clearly trades in women like most of us exchange Christmas gifts. And I’m the one going back to CostCo while Tania is Neiman Marcus.
“Do you think they’ll get married?” I ask, wondering out loud.
“Not if Bridezilla wants to get through her day without the rotten egg brigade showing up. Which way is the boss’s office?”
We’re lost in the maze of snowy scenery and digitally falling flakes. Eventually I get my bearings, point the way and then make a break for it. Tai easily sprints after me and hauls my ass mercilessly back.
“If you quit then you can’t pay half the rent and I’ll be homeless,” He snips. Which I know is his way of saying he cares about my future.
“Please Tai, I really don’t know what to say to him. It’s so embarrassing.”
“You’re going to ask him for the truth,” he says. “Because I really don’t believe your boss is a douche. And my guydar is way more efficient than yours.”
He’s right about that. Every date he’s warned me off has turned out to be an ass in some way, or just not right for me. But that’s been all of them so far. So I’ve never actually heard him come out strong in support of any guy I’m seeing. Like he is now for Milo.
But now we’re in my boss’s office and even Tai is gob-smacked at the scene in front of us. And he won’t be able to convince me that this isn’t exactly what it looks like. My boss and his party planner about to fuck in his office. There’s a pain in my chest like a rock rolled down and got stuck. At least it’s replaced all the butt
erflies at the prospect of confronting Milo.
“Aura,” he says, equally shocked to see us standing in the open door.
He drops Tania like she’s a hot brick and the tramp makes zero effort to cover her massive tits. She just stands there looking as smug as if she’d just won a brand new car on a gameshow.
“Who are you?” Milo demands of Tai, when I hardly think this is the right time to making social introductions.
Anyway I can’t utter a word. I’m way more disappointed than I should be, the ache spreading through my chest and throughout my core. I guess I wanted my boss more than I was admitting.
“Tai Woodlust,” he answers. Then, oh god, he sticks out his hand and heads into the room to shake. What the hell is he doing? “Roommate extraordinaire.”
“You’re the roommate?” Milo says and a grin spreads up his wide lips and across his entire face.
“You were expecting Brad Pitt?” Tai quips.
“Someone like that, I guess,” Milo comes right back. “But I’m way more happy that it’s you.”
Milo’s eyes slide across to me and I instantly start to palpitate. We stand there gaping at each other and I can feel Tai dissecting the situation, his eyes tennis-balling back and forth between us, but I can’t unglue from looking at my boss. I feel as frozen as those stupid stalactites. It feels like an absolute ice age that we four stand there suspended in time, locked in place.
“Okay girlfriend time to go,” Tai announces, taking charge of the situation. Which is surprising as Milo never allows a man to become more alpha than he is.
I resign myself to my roomie being right. I’ve more than outstayed my welcome here. This is the most embarrassing scene I’ve ever played a role in. But instead of coming back to lead me out of my hardest humiliation, flashing vibrators have nothing on this, Tai grabs the front of Tania’s dress.
“Let’s put the girls to bed for the night,” he tells her, shoving the sides of her breasts into the fabric like he’s packing up fish at the market.
She’s so stunned at his take charge manner, she doesn’t clue in enough to resist him as he swiftly manhandles her toward the door.
“Scooch,” he flaps at me to get out of the way as they approach.
I leap to one side and am about to follow when Tai gives me a quick little shove in the small of my back and pulls the door shut on my boss’s office. I’m more solidly frozen than before. It would be ridiculously childish to open the door and run away but I feel anger rising up though my skittering heart rate. How could Milo treat me like that? Or the mother of his child?
“I like your roomie,” he says, softly, like he’s breaking the swathe of icy chill between us.
“Yeah he likes you too,” I say. “Fuck knows why.”
“He can probably read my angst right about now,” Milo grins, with a humble shrug. “I screwed up tonight, royally.”
“I’ll say,” I snap. “I guess your Baby Momma will forgive you. Or did you pay her off? I saw the check she was clutching and the ink was barely dry.”
“No I don’t pay off women any more,” He says.
“Good to know.”
“Aura, she isn’t having my baby,” Milo says.
He goes to his bar tray and pours a shot of something from a bottle I don’t recognize. Then another.
“But you did sleep with her?” I probe, knowing it’s not my right but I can’t resist.
“Once,” He says sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize on my account,” I snap.
“I wasn’t. I actually mean I’m sorry it happened.”
“That’s what all cheaters say - really they mean they’re sorry they got caught.”
“I never cheated on you Aura and I never will.”
God he’s so sincere I almost believe him. No wonder he quit coding for selling.
“Isn’t it her you cheated on actually?” I say, correcting him.
“No. We aren’t a thing.”
“But she’s having your baby.”
“No. She’s not.”
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“Yeah I can be 99.6% positive that the baby she’s having, if she’s even having one and not trying to milk me or manipulate me into marriage, is absolutely not mine.”
“How?” I snort.
14
Milo
I manage to slowly work my way across the space between us, just as though I were a cowboy working with a skittish colt. When I’m close enough, and she hasn’t bolted, I hand Aura the scotch. At my announcement she grabs the glass and shoots it in one, then coughs.
“Easy tiger, that’s a 30 years aged single malt, not tequila.”
She clutches at her chest and splutters harder, so I step in and pat her firmly on the back. The sensation of her smooth bare skin on my fingers, so soft it’s like bridal satin, sets off a spiral of lightning going through my core straight to my cock. My hunger to claim her is so intense I could melt an entire frozen meat cooler, but possibly not her. Not yet. Because Aura is looking at me like I’m the biggest lying asshat she’s ever set eyes on.
I slide my hand lower down her back, unwilling to release the silky feel of her, then lead her to an armchair. She hesitates for a second like she’s not planning on staying. But then I press her gently down and can’t fail to take note of her legs wobbling. I go to the bar again. Another scotch for me and I open a mini Moet for her then push the savvy sipper into the bottle neck.
“Hardly the moment for celebration,” she says, but takes the bottle from me anyway and wraps her lips around the special spout.
“You can never be sure of that,” I say as I remove my jacket and toss it over the sofa.
I roll up my sleeves and then lower myself into the armchair across from her. I meet her gaze until I have her complete attention for what I’m about to do.
“You aren’t going to tell me how you can be so sure about Tania are you?” she snips.
Obviously she thinks the seating, the champagne, is a distraction, when in truth I’m gearing up for a tough revelation.
“Actually I am but it isn’t that easy,” I admit, taking another sip of the scotch to warm my heart. “The reason I’m certain Tania isn’t pregnant, at least not with a baby of mine, is because after the last time something like this happened I had my tubes tied.”
“Oh,” she whispers and her face softens as she takes that information in. “So you can’t-“
“Back then I didn’t want children. I was so enveloped in my business, that was the only progeny I thought I’d ever need. And I was more concerned about the number of women that used me romantically - yeah, women have their mean sides too.”
“I know,” Aura agrees. That seems like progress.
“When I became successful the first woman came to me with a fake pregnancy and I stood by her, even bought the ring. I was pretty green. Then I discovered by chance, because a nurse I, er, knew, happened to see her file, that she was never pregnant.”
“That’s horrible,” Aura says softly.
Fuck she’s so beautiful when she’s soft like that. I adore her feisty independence but when she’s kittenish she makes me melt from the heat she inspires.
“And now?” She adds, then falters and her cheeks pinken a little.
Just enough to remind me of the gorgeous redness on her other beautiful cheeks and that recall stimulates a memory of her wet pussy. Moments later my dick is uncomfortably hard in my pants. My silence as I try to get my hunger for her under control, or at least keep it under wraps, makes her nervous.
“I mean it isn’t my business but -“ she starts.
“Now I’d love to have children,” I interrupt her and watch her hitch at her breath.
Is she feeling the same thing as I am? Could she possibly have hopes for me? I’ve always heard a woman takes a long time to choose ‘the one’ whereas men decide in an instant if she’s a keeper or a loaner. In my case I never felt that instant knowledge so I assumed it
’s just bullshit, men talking out their ass like they had some prescient awareness that they knew the moment they met her.
Now I know it’s no bull.
But I can hardly keep going with Aura unless she knows the truth about me. It wouldn’t be fair to dump that on her once I’ve got her on the hook.
“Isn’t it very expensive to reverse that procedure,” she murmurs.
I shrug with a grin.
Yeah she has a few hopes.
“Terribly painful I hear,” I moan. “But I’d definitely step up, for the right girl.”
She looks at me and I see the desire build in her face as that pale pink sheen comes into her face. She sips her champagne and her eyelashes flutter which is something I never thought I’d see from feisty Aura Johanssen.
“Come here,” I order her.
A tremble runs through her body and she wobbles as she puts the bottle down and stands up. She walks across to me and when she’s right at my knees I order her to stop.
“That dress has no fastenings,” I tell her, a question in my voice.
“No,” she mewls. “It, it comes off by stretching.”
“Show me,” I husk.
Her eyes flick to the door, no doubt worried about a repeat of the previous performance with someone else walking in on us. The staff are in no way interested in my whereabouts, all drunk by now and somehow I know that Tai is taking good care of Tania.
“I told you to show me,” I repeat, my voice croaking with ravenous need.
She swallows, then pulls the dress off her shoulder and extracts her arm without exposing her front. Her coy performance is a million times hotter than Tania’s overt one. Not that there’s any comparison between them because Aura is an angel, a dirty little angel. I raise my eyebrows, letting her know I’ve got all night. Her lips part and her breath picks up faster as she slides her other arm out of the gown and then locks onto my gaze for an eternity.
