I put my hands on my hips, unable to resist giving him a hard time. “Is it a problem for me to be here?”
“No, but you’re welcome to take the time off anyhow. I’m sure you have a lot to do for the garage sale.”
Yep. Tonight I hoped to seduce Mark, and tomorrow I was selling off virtually every piece of furniture in my home. All that I was keeping were the things from Tristan’s room or anything with sentimental value. Simply put: it was time to rid myself of the memories. Time to close that chapter.
“My mom and I already tagged everything. And I don’t enjoy spending time at the house if I can help it. Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?”
His face started to turn red, which said a lot. Brian wasn’t the type to embarrass or frazzle easily. “I’m not. It’s just that—”
We both glanced up when Sasha came through his halfway-open office door, her eyes on me while she fought a grin. “Hey. I heard Mark is here with Josh. Have you seen him yet?”
I turned my faux-narrowed gaze on Brian. “Is that why you wanted me to go home?”
He had the decency to wince. “I’d told him you wouldn’t be in the office today and—”
“So he figured it would be safe to come in? You planned this with him?”
“Juliette, it’s not like that. He wanted to surprise you.”
I drew myself up to my full five-foot-two frame and turned towards Sasha. “Are they in the large conference room?” It was the one with all of the glass. He would be able to see me walk by in the hall, fitting directly into my plan.
She nodded. “Yep.”
Brian was starting to sweat it. “You can’t go in there right now. He and Josh are meeting with someone.”
“Oh, I’m not. I’m simply going to walk by on my way to get a donut from the kitchen.” Glancing down at my hunter-green sweater dress paired with knee high boots, I was thankful Sasha and I had gone shopping. I was looking exceptionally put together today.
“You’re not planning on doing anything crazy, are you?” Brian asked with trepidation.
I lifted a brow, happy to tease him a bit more. “Yes, I figured I’d start chucking donuts at the glass, causing them to stick and then slither down slowly. Meanwhile, I’d blare eighties music from my phone on top volume until he notices me.”
Brian raised a brow. “That was scarily vivid. The problem is I know you well enough to believe there’s a ten percent chance you’ll actually do that. Then again, if it were my sister, the likelihood would be more like fifty percent, so I guess I should be grateful.”
“If you’re taking suggestions for music, I vote for Whitesnake,” Sasha quipped. “Ooh, or Poison. And don’t waste the chocolate donuts; those are my favorite. Use the glazed ones.”
“But I love the glazed ones.”
“Hm, maybe the jelly-filled ones then. Those can go.”
Brian shook his head, exasperated with the two of us discussing which donuts should be sacrificed. Turning to Sasha, he lamented, “You’re only feeding the crazy, honey.”
Because there was real fear in his expression, I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing.
Sasha was quick to follow.
“Okay, either you two are certifiable, or I’m totally missing something here.” His glance bounced between the two of us.
“Don’t you know better than to keep secrets from me, Brian Carpenter?” I teased.
It only took a moment before he figured out our game and turned towards Sasha. “You told her, didn’t you?”
She shrugged. “For a good reason.”
He quirked a brow. “Such as what?”
“Operation Seduction,” I supplied.
He put his head in his hands, forearms on his desk. “Jesus. I had to ask.” He took an exaggerated breath. “All right. What, um, what do you need me to do?”
Now if this wasn’t the definition of true friendship, I don’t what was. “It’s simple. When he comes in here, tell him I heard he was here and that I’m in my office. And do not spoil my counter-surprise.”
He looked up with a grin. “As if I would go against the two of you.”
Sasha went over to plant a kiss on his lips. “Good answer.” Turning towards me, she smirked. “You ready for your drive by?”
I nodded, feeling the nerves jump up. “Yep.”
She smiled. “I’ll go with you.”
I moved by the conference room windows with Sasha by my side, using Baywatch slow-mo speed, minus the cleavage and the swimsuit. I had to force myself not to look into the windows. Instead, I laughed at something random she was saying. Loud, but not too loud, just enough to hopefully make him aware I was here.
After doing a second pass, donut in hand, I went to my office. Sasha smiled and took a seat in my guest chair. But I was no longer smiling, suddenly second-guessing the whole thing.
“Watch. His back will have been turned away from the glass, and he didn’t even notice me either time. Love has officially made me stupid and regressed my maturity level.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s human. You simply want what every woman does, which is to make her man take notice of her. Plus, on the scale of crazy, this is pretty tame. However, if you started chucking donuts at the glass while Whitesnake blasts in the background—I’ve gotta say, that would be epic craziness.”
I scoffed. “Please, we both know I’d be blaring Metallica.” What could I say? I was a sucker for eighties rock bands.
We both laughed until I posed the question. “Was this a stupid idea? Maybe instead of pushing, I should let him set the pace of things. Wait for him.”
“You’re aware patience isn’t my strong suit, either, right? And why shouldn’t you both get a say? You want sex and intimacy with your man, so go get it. Just wait until after his meeting.”
“Okay, but if you hear the sound of fresh donuts hitting glass in an hour, you’ll know he still hasn’t noticed me, and I’ve gone to new levels of desperation in my plan.”
***
Thankfully, I didn’t have to go anywhere or resort to desperate measures. Mark came directly to my office fifteen minutes after I’d walked by. And damn, did he look good in his suit and tie.
I hoped my voice sounded more nonchalant than I was actually feeling. “What brings you to the Charlotte office?”
He shut the door before answering. “I realize how this must look, but I was planning to surprise you. Your mom is babysitting tonight so I could take you to dinner. And Brian said you were out of the office today, so I was doing these meetings and then—”
I smiled, cutting him off. “I know.”
After standing up from my desk, I walked around to close the blinds. When his brow lifted, I had to steady my heartbeat as I considered my next move.
“What are you doing?”
“Ensuring privacy.”
“For what, exactly?”
“This.” I put my hands on his chest and then trailed them down his dress shirt, feeling his muscles jump at my touch.
“You knew I was going to be here today?”
“Mm, I may have gotten a hint.” Our gazes locked. My fingers itched to touch the warm skin beneath his clothes.
He sighed. “I swear Brian can’t keep a secret.”
“Mm, wasn’t him.” I loosened his tie, loving the harsh breath he expelled when I undid the first few buttons of his shirt.
“Jules…”
I let out a squeal of disbelief when he lifted me onto the edge of my desk, his hands resting at my hips. Wasting no time, I pulled him down by the tie for a searing kiss. The kind that had our lips frantic, tongues tangling, and me wanting him inside of me now.
He pulled back after a moment, looking completely caught off guard. “Jesus, what are you doing to me?”
“I would think it obvious. I’m seducing you.”
His eyes were dark with lust. “But what about our date tonight and—?”
“You gonna judge me if I put out before it?” I locked my legs around his, pul
ling him closer into the apex of my thighs.
He grinned. “Hell, no, but I didn’t want to rush this. Didn’t want you to think this was only about the sex.”
Now it was time to get serious. “I’ve never thought that, but I miss the intimacy between us. A lot. The connection is really important to me—despite the fact that we’re still working through the other stuff. I don’t need perfect timing or the perfect date. I only need it to be with you.”
His gaze stayed focused on mine. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“It took a while for me to figure it out. Plus, now I prefer the idea of showing you. I haven’t ever seduced a man.”
My fingers undid two more buttons.
“Here? Now?” His voice had gone up a full octave with his questions.
“Why not? Don’t you have some fantasy about the office and a desk with me on it?”
He inhaled deeply. “I definitely do now. But what if someone hears us?”
Tugging on his tie, I pulled his lips back to mine. “Don’t tell me my dirty-talking alpha man in the bedroom is suddenly shy about the possibility of office sex.”
He shifted his kiss to my neck. “There’s no way the entire staff wouldn’t hear us with what I have in mind.”
I’d never grow tired of the way he could spike my libido with simple promises like that one. “How about a little preview, then?” My hands slid to his belt buckle.
His quickly covered them, keeping me from my intention. “Do you have any meetings the rest of the morning?”
“Nope. Brian wasn’t even expecting me in today.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
He lifted me off my desk to my feet and grabbed my purse for me.
“Go where?”
“My hotel room is two miles from here.”
“We’re going to have an office nooner? I’ve always wanted one of those.”
He was shaking his head at me while fighting a grin and trying to button up his shirt. “Shh. Straight face. We’re going to talk.”
Uh-huh.
Taking my hand, he led me down the hall and into the lobby. Josh, Brian, and Sasha were all standing by the conference room as if waiting to see what would happen with us.
“We’re, uh, going for coffee to talk. I’ll have her back in an hour.” Mark managed to get this out while looking serious, despite the buttons not matching properly on his shirt, his mussed hair, and my lip gloss still shiny on his lips.
“Actually, maybe make it two hours in case I need more than one cup.” It was out of my mouth before I could stop it and served to make Mark turn red.
Brian, being the friend he was, gave some helpful advice. “I’d hate to rush coffee. In fact, take all the time you want.”
Mark was already grabbing my hand and leading me out the door and to his rental car.
We stopped on the passenger side of his sedan. Suddenly, I was pinned against the door.
I smirked at him. “Guess I’m just really excited about coffee.”
He put his lips to my ear. “What should I do with this mouth of yours?”
I had some delicious ideas, but I had to ask the burning question first. “Did I embarrass you in front of our friends?”
He took a moment, tucking my hair behind my ear before he whispered in it. “Not at all. It’s not like they didn’t know exactly why I was rushing you out the door—even before you mentioned you might need two cups. Now get in the car before we give the office a show in the parking lot.”
I grinned and climbed into the passenger side, shimmying out of my panties once he put the car in gear.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking off my thong. It’s gotten awfully wet.”
My normally reserved, careful Mark turned into a speed demon during the short distance to the hotel. By the time we made it to his door, I wasn’t sure if I was more out of breath from anticipation or from being led through the hotel lobby at breakneck speed. My short little legs in high-heeled boots had to struggle to keep up with him.
After fumbling with the room key, he pulled me inside and was on me before the door clicked shut. “I’ve missed you. So much,” he got out between kisses down my neck. Meanwhile, his hands reached the hem of my dress and pulled it up over my head in one swoop.
“From now on, I need the bedroom to be the exception to taking things slowly.” I barely got the words out as his palm cupped my wet center, rocking the heel over my clit and driving me crazy with need.
He chuckled. “Deal.”
Nimble fingers moved to undo my bra, which let the weight of my breasts fall into his palms. “Gorgeous.”
He lavished attention on one side and then the other, eventually moving down my stomach. Since I’d already removed my panties in the car, I was left standing there in only my boots.
“Your turn to strip. Because I have some plans for you.”
He quirked a brow but quickly worked to remove his clothing.
I licked my lips in anticipation of tasting him and didn’t bother to wait until he’d pulled his trousers all the way down before I hit the carpet with my knees and dove on his cock. Wasting no time, I took him to the back of my throat, cupping his balls with one hand and working his shaft with the other.
“Christ, woman, you’re going to make me come like a teenage boy if you keep doing that.”
Music to my ears. I doubled my efforts, gripping his ass and bobbing up and down on his length while relaxing my throat to allow him even deeper. The salty taste of him hit my tongue as his roar filled the room. I swallowed him down, milking every ounce of him.
After he helped me to my feet, he didn’t hesitate to kiss me. “There are no limits with you, Jules.” I knew he meant more than sex by the way he looked deeply into my eyes.
“Get on the bed.”
I loved the way he looked caught off guard by my demand.
“Not done?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not even close.”
I wasn’t. I took my time exploring every inch of him, flicking his sensitive nipples with my tongue and then sliding it down his impressive abs. I made him hard again in no time, but he’d had enough of my teasing.
“I’ve been dreaming of when I’d get to taste you again.” He flipped me over on my back. After positioning his broad shoulders between my knees, he kissed up my quivering thighs to the very heat before devouring me completely.
“I, oh……” I couldn’t finish the thought. My eyes rolled back in my head while an all-consuming orgasm roared through me. But he wasn’t content to let me down from the wave that had rocked me. Instead he was pushing me to the edge again with his unrelenting tongue on my clit and his fingers deep inside me, pumping in and out.
“Again. I need to feel it again.”
My body didn’t disappoint. It felt like someone hit me with a live wire. Every nerve ending was on fire. While the white heat rolled over me, I realized Mark’s gorgeous face, now sans his glasses, hovered over mine.
“You all right?”
I nodded mutely, making him grin.
“A speechless Juliette is always a high compliment indeed. Now let me get these off of you.”
He unzipped each boot and then peeled down the stockings underneath, leaving me completely naked before him.
After grabbing his glasses, he stood a moment simply staring down at me from the side of the bed. Once upon a time, I would’ve covered myself, insecure at being vulnerable and worrying about stretch marks. But the way this man looked at me made me believe him when he said I was beautiful. Because to him, I was.
“This is why the office wouldn’t have done it. I needed to see you like this. You’re even more stunning than I remembered.”
I watched him walk over to his suitcase to retrieve what I guessed was a condom. After he stretched out on the bed next to me, I rolled into his embrace, kissing him with all of the pent-up emotion I’d been feeling over the last couple of weeks. I loved this man unequivocally and had m
issed him so much.
Framing my face with his hands, he pulled back. “I need to put on the condom.” His gaze searched mine. I imagined he was thinking of the last time we’d made love without one.
“Yeah, that would be good.” I surprised him by taking the package out of his hands.
After I rolled on the condom, he positioned himself on top of me and entered me slowly. “Don’t close your eyes,” he insisted.
The level of intimacy stole my breath as he moved inside of me. He increased the pace and lifted my hips with his arm, which created the right angle to trigger my climax once again. This time I wasn’t content to do it alone. My hands ran down his back, pulling him deeper while I clenched my intimate muscles tight around him.
“I love it when your pussy demands I come with you.”
As my orgasm crested, I felt his start. I relished the sound of him growling my name as he ground out his climax deep inside of me.
We lay there for the longest time, each unwilling to sever the connection. Finally, Mark pulled out and got up to dispose of the condom. I’d started on the Pill again a couple weeks ago and was looking forward to being bare with him again in the near future.
When he came back to the bed, he gathered me close. Naked entanglement was my favorite.
“I didn’t realize how much I needed this connection with you again,” Mark murmured.
“Me, too. And I didn’t realize how good it would feel to take charge and seduce you. In fact, I think I’ll need to take charge more often.”
He chuckled. “I hardly remember the drive over here I was so turned on.”
“Good thing the police didn’t pull us over.” I giggled at the thought of how we’d explain the situation.
“I wanted to surprise you for the weekend. Not only for tonight but also in order to help with the garage sale and moving. I know selling things won’t be easy.”
His perception never failed to take me off guard. “That means a lot. It’ll be difficult, but it’s like a final purging of my past. I’ve selected some things to keep for Tristan: his father’s graduation photo, his first badge, our wedding picture. He deserves to know we once loved one another and what kind of man Rob used to be.”
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