by Tasha Fawkes
“I’m impressed,” she says as we get out. “This is nice.”
“It’s even nicer inside,” I say, raising my eyebrows. “In fact, you should see the view I’ve got from my balcony out back.”
“Thanks for the tour,” she says shyly after I show her around.
“Anytime,” I murmur.
I really do love my place, and I’d want to, because it cost me a fortune. I’ll admit that there might have been some competition between my brothers and I to have the biggest and nicest place.
“Come check out the balcony,” I say, taking her hand. She gasps as we walk outside. She takes in the sprawling city lights around us, while I take in her.
“This is incredible,” she says, shaking her head. “You totally don't expect such an amazing view from the front of the place.”
“One of the things I like most about it,” I murmur. “You think you know what you’re getting, but then there’s this element of surprise. Nothing better than something surprising you in a good way.” I pause and look down at her. “Or someone surprising you.”
She glances at me, embarrassed, like she's trying to figure out if I'm talking about her or the house.
“Sit down and I'll get us a drink,” I say.
She nods and makes herself comfortable on one of the lounge chairs. I walk inside, whistling as I make my way into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of wine and two glasses. I walk back outside, unscrewing the cap as I move and pouring the wine into the glasses.
I hand one to her. She smiles and then takes a sip, sitting back in the chair. I sit down on the chair next to hers and take a sip of my wine. She stares up at the sky, looking lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask. Her head snaps around, like I startled her.
She shakes her head. “Just something that you said to me last time we went out that really resonated with me,” she replies.
“What was that?” I ask. I’m sure I said a lot of things last time.
“When you said that I was unappreciated and undervalued by my father. That's exactly how I've been feeling for pretty much my entire life.” She frowns at me. “Did you know that, or was that just a guess?” she finally asks.
I shrug. How would I know that? It’s not exactly the type of thing I plug into Google and get an answer for. I pause, not sure whether to be honest or keep playing the part I'm playing.
“I think I see a lot of you in me,” I admit, deciding to open up to her and tell the truth. About that at least.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“I think the only person in my family who ever really appreciated me was my father. After he died, things got worse. My family thinks I'm a joke,” I say. I press my lips together and study my glass. “I act like I don't care what they think, but I do. Nobody wants to feel like that, especially not by people who are supposed to appreciate you and love you unconditionally.”
She smiles at me, then she puts her wine down and stands up.
“What are you doing?” I murmur.
I watch, confused as she steps over me and sits down on my lap. I groan as she takes my hands and places them on her thighs, gently riding her dress up over her hips. She gently rocks herself against my now hard cock. She leans down and kisses me, her hair falling around us, her lips pressing against mine.
“What do you think I'm doing?” she whispers. She grips hold of my chin and kisses me again.
I don't need any more encouragement than that. I roughly push her dress up until it’s bunched around her waist, then I flick aside her panties and run my finger along her wet pussy. She groans as I tease her, my finger easing along her entrance. She gasps, her back arching as I push my finger inside her, while she rocks herself against my hand.
She closes her eyes, leaning her head back while I reach up and roll my fingers over her stiff nipples, which are showing through her dress. I'm in shock that this is happening as fast as it is, but I'm definitely not about to slow down.
Let's kick things up a notch.
Smirking, I wrap my hands under her ass. Her eyes fly open as she looks down at me in confusion. I raise my eyebrows and lift her onto my face. Her legs press against either side of my face, and she grips the back of the lounger to steady her balance. I wrap my arms around her thighs and slide her down onto my tongue.
“Oh lord,” she gasps, clearly not expecting that.
I gently rock her back and forth, thrusting my tongue in and out of her. She grabs handfuls of my hair while my tongue invades her pussy. Her muscles contract around me, and I groan as her legs lock me in.
She screams, forcing herself down harder and faster on my tongue until she comes. Her body spasms as she bounces on me. I can't breathe but I go with it, flicking my tongue against her clit.
“God,” she cries out.
She’s so loud that I'm genuinely concerned that my neighbors are going to call the police. Panting heavily, she slides back down to my waist, her cheeks flush with color.
“Holy crap, that was incredible,” she gasps, out of breath. She shakes her head “Fuck me.”
“Is that an offer?” I ask, my hand creeping back up her thighs.
She laughs as I stand up and take her by the hand, leading her inside the house. I guide her down to the bedroom, picking her up when we pass the kitchen. I kiss her roughly, wanting her to taste how sweet she was for me. She moans softly as I slide my tongue into her mouth.
I push her against the wall, my dick throbbing. I’m so hard that I'm not sure I can make it to the bedroom. I reach into my pocket and grab the condom I put it there when I was getting dressed. I wasn't expecting to be using it, but I wanted to be covered. Literally. I put the wrapper between my teeth and rip it open, then I roll the rubber over my dick, while balancing her against the wall. Her arms cling around my neck as I thrust myself inside her.
“Oh,” she gasps, her thighs clenching around me as I pump my cock into her. I rip open the front of her dress, desperate to close my mouth over those nipples.
“Hey!” she gasps, her eyes wide. “That dress cost me hundreds.”
“So, I'll buy you another one,” I growl, wrapping my tongue around her nipple. She groans and arches her back as I pump myself inside her.
“God, I’m going to come again,” she gasps, burying her face in my neck.
“Not yet,” I mutter.
I grip her chin and force her to look at me. I want to look in her eyes while I come inside her. I use my finger to tweak her nipples, daring her to tell me to stop. When she doesn’t, I close my eyes and gasp as I release.
My movements slow until eventually, I'm just pressing her against the wall. She kisses me and with the last bit of energy I have, I carry her down to the bedroom. I lay her down on the bed and then lie down next to her, rolling her into my arms.
“That was pretty incredible,” she murmurs.
“It was,” I agree, too focused on kissing her neck. “Were you expecting that?” I add, placing a kiss on her lips.
She smiles. “No, but I might've been hoping that something like this would happen.”
I chuckle. “Really?”
I’m surprised at how much I enjoy hearing that. Her eyes narrow. She smiles playfully as she climbs over me, placing a kiss on my lips. It's soft and lingering, making me groan. Her hand creeps down over my body and wraps around my cock.
I'm impressed that she's ready to go again and more than happy to assist.
She sighs softly as she rolls into my arms, snuggling against me as I stroke her hair. I lay there next to her listening to the sound of her breathing, turning into soft snores.
I close my eyes just for a minute, and before I know it, I’ve fallen asleep too.
Eight
Shana
I look around, disorientated, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. It takes me a moment to remember where I am, and when I do, I feel sick.
Easing the hand that's wrapped around my waist away from me, I nudge Rex onto his si
de. He stirs, and I hold my breath until the steady snores begin again. My heart races as last night comes flooding back to me. My stomach churns as I remember everything.
What the hell did I just do? I know I needed some action, but this is not me. I barely know the guy. A couple glasses of wine and I turn into a sex whore. What if he expects this of me every time?
Panicking, I get up, trying my best to be quiet so that I don’t wake him. I fumble around in the barely lit room, looking for my dress. In the end, I give up and pick up his shirt from a pile of clothes on the floor and slide my arms through.
I walk out, buttoning up the first two buttons as I wander into his living room. What do I do now? I grab my phone off the coffee table. Two in the morning. Should I call a cab? I can't just leave, because he drove me here. And leaving would just add a whole new level of complication to things.
I sneak out onto the balcony and text Ash. It’s late, so I don’t expect her to reply, but I need to try. I know I'm leaning heavily on her, but I can't help it. I just feel so unsure of myself in situations like this. If it was work-related or anything else, then I'd nail it completely, but when it comes to relationships and sex, I fumble my way through, worried I’m doing everything wrong.
Me: I'm not sure that I can do this.
Ash: Do what?
Me: This. Be in a relationship or wherever this is headed. I can't focus on this and work.
Ash: So…maybe that’s a sign you need to give work the back seat for a while?
I sit down on one of the chairs and frown. Maybe she's right. Work has consumed my life for so long, but maybe it’s time I let something else take priority. I should just sit back and enjoy this.
Like I enjoyed tonight.
I shiver, squirming at the thought. So many more nights like that are more than welcome. I get up and go back inside, walking over to the kitchen and pouring myself a glass of water. I sit down on the couch and try to calm myself down. Slowly I begin to feel better. I need to think this through.
My father would kill me if he knew about this. Lunch was bad enough, but now I'm sleeping with the enemy. Do I regret it? No. Not at all. So maybe this isn't a bad thing.
I smile, a shiver racing through me, because he was so good. Like toe curling, body tingling, my back arching kind of good. I shake my head and rub the back of my neck. A layer of sweat comes away on my hand. Gosh, I'm all flustered again.
Honestly, I've never had sex that good before. I thought I'd had some pretty good sex in the past, but if last night was anything to go by, I’ve been missing out big time.
Is he playing a game? Definitely. But at least I know that up front. Where is the harm in letting this go on for a bit longer? If that's gonna be my reward for agreeing to help him, he can reward me any day. And the way he worked his tongue…holy shit. I clench my thighs together, aching for more.
I sit back on the couch and tuck my legs up under me. What I love most is that he is not intimidated by me at all. I can be as smart and powerful and brainy as I want because it seems to turn him on. I know that he's just using his charm to get what he wants, but I'm sure I saw glimpses of the real him last night when he was telling me about his family not appreciating him. And when he was listening to what I was telling him, that was real too. I'm sure of it.
Maybe he’s moving this faster than he normally would, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?
Nor does it lessen his attraction to me. Either way, I need to decide now. I do this, or I don't. I just need to remember to keep this light, fun, and casual, because the moment I start thinking of this as anything other than a casual hook-up is when feelings will end up getting hurt.
And those feelings are guaranteed to be mine.
“Is everything okay?”
I jump and look up at Rex, who stands in the doorway, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.
He rubs his eyes and stares at me, still half asleep. I shiver, resisting the urge to race over there and run my hands over his body, among other things. Damn him for being so irresistible.
“I couldn't sleep,” I mumble, flustered.
“Is that my shirt?” He smirks and wanders over to me.
“Yes,” I admit. “I couldn’t find my dress. Sorry, I hope it’s okay?”
“More than okay,” he says. “It looks better on you anyway.” He kneels in front of me, running his fingers over the buttons. “Maybe I can help with the can’t get to sleep thing,” he whispers.
He takes my legs, spreading them wider apart as I slink further down onto the seat of the couch. I gasp as he slides his mouth over my pussy, because holy crap, he's good. He pushes his tongue inside me, hard, and with one hand, I grab a handful of his hair and lock my fingers around it.
He grunts as I rest my legs on his shoulders, locking my ankles around his neck. I look down, my eyes meeting his as I watch him tongue me. I squirm, not breaking eye contact with him as he flicks at my clit. It feels incredible, and I’m doing everything I can not to grab hold of his head and try to force his tongue deeper inside me.
My heart pounds as I begin to tingle. My hips buck forward as I lift my back off the couch. I close my eyes and pant, gasping as I come.
“God, I’m there,” I gasp, the words only half forming.
I groan, my legs shaking as my body convulses in sync with his and then I push him away when I can’t handle any more. He grins at me and wipes his mouth, before leaning in to kiss me. I whimper when I taste myself on him. Then he scoops me into his arms.
“Now,” he grins, “how about we take this back to the bedroom?”
He carries me down to his room and throws me onto the mattress, before climbing into bed next to me. His lips find my neck, leaving me gasping for more. He positions himself on top of me, ripping open the condom packet, that I didn’t even see him grab, with his teeth. He places himself at my entrance and then thrusts inside me. I wrap my arms around his neck as he pushes deeper inside me. He kisses my neck, his mouth traveling down to my breasts while I groan and squirm beneath him.
With a growl, he drives his length inside me. He groans, tilting his head back as he comes. I clench my thighs around his waist, milking him dry. He grins at me and shakes his head as he collapses on the bed next to me.
“If that doesn’t get you to sleep, nothing will,” he mutters.
I laugh and let him roll me into his arms, loving the feel of his fingernails drawing circles over my back. I can barely keep my eyes open and eventually, I lose the struggle, falling to sleep in his arms.
Yep, there’s definitely no backing out of this now.
The bed is empty when I wake up. I lay there for a while, enjoying the warmth, before I drag myself out. I wander down into the living room. It’s quiet, but then I spy the note on the kitchen counter.
Gone to get some breakfast. Make yourself at home. R x
No sooner than I’ve set the note back down, the door opens. I turn around and see Rex walking in, carrying coffee and fresh croissants. He smiles at me, his eyes traveling down over my naked thighs.
He walks over and hands me a coffee. I take it gratefully, sighing when the smell hits my senses. He chuckles as I take a sip.
“What?” I grin.
“You have froth,” he says. He reaches over and runs his finger across my lip. “There. All gone.”
“Thanks,” I grin.
I peer at the bag of croissants he’s holding. He gets the hint and opens it, letting me take one. I bite into the fluffy pastry and then wander over to the couch. I sit down, crossing my leg over the other.
“So,” I begin, “tell me more about this takeover.”
“Dressed like that?” he enquires.
I laugh. “What, are you afraid it will throw you off your game?” I tease.
He flushes. “Of course not. What do you want to know?”
“What your plan is? What you want with my father’s company?” I ask. I take another bite of croissant, swallowing it down with some coffee. “Wh
at you’re offering me if I decide to help you,” I add, leaving the most important consideration until last.
He smiles at me, his eyes narrowing. “What do you want out of this, Shana?”
I think about that for a moment. What do I want out of this—if I decide to go ahead?
“I don’t want anything more than what I think I deserve,” I say finally. “I’ve worked hard for Denton Industries, and it’s gone unrecognized by my father and the other board members. I should have been promoted twice now, but I keep getting overlooked.” I shake my head, my anger surfacing. “My father says every time that my turn is coming. Every fucking time he promises that next time it will be me who gets that promotion. But it never is.”
“Okay,” Rex murmurs. He frowns at me. “We can accommodate that, Shana. You help us, you’ll get the career recognition you deserve.”
“Okay.” My heart races. I press my lips together and look him in the eye, before saying two little words that are going to change everything.
“I’m in.”
Nine
Rex
I walk over and to the cabinet that houses Henry’s, no doubt, very expensive malted scotch whiskey and pour myself a glass. Henry glares at me, clearly in shock at what I’m doing, but I don’t care. Once he and Matt find out how I’m single handedly ensuring that this merger will be going ahead, they’ll be showering me in the stuff.
“Are you right?” Henry growls. His hands clench into fists on the top of his Italian carved desk as he glowers at me.
“Don’t worry about him, he has a habit of doing that,” Matt replies with a smirk.
Matt watches me with amusement as I take another sip, swooshing it around in my mouth. Then he raises his eyebrows, as if he’s silently asking me what the hell I’m doing. I’m sure the grin on my face probably tells him everything he needs to know, but he asks the question anyway.
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" he asks, his grin matching mine.
