Not Safe For Work

by L. A. Witt

  Throughout the day, I made sure to drink a ton of water to appease my throbbing temples. No way in hell was this hangover coming with me tonight. It had almost fully faded by lunch anyway, but I was taking no chances.

  At four thirty, my desk phone rang.

  “Modeling and drafting, this is Jon.”

  “Why don’t you cut loose and head home for the day?” Marie said.

  “What? But it’s—”

  “I know what time it is. Get out of here.”

  “I—” Even as I reached for my keys, I hesitated. “Listen, um, thanks. For having my back.”

  “You’re welcome, Jon. I’m sorry you had to go through this whole fiasco.”

  “Did Mitchell give you a hard—”

  “Don’t worry about me. Besides, I’m pretty sure your boyfriend put the fear of God into him, and he won’t be giving anyone a hard time for a while.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, he looked pretty scared.”

  “He was. And let me tell you, Rick wasn’t done with him after we left your office. He called the Forsythe boys into the conference room to discuss those contracts, and he must’ve let them have it for a good twenty minutes.”

  “Wow, seriously?”

  “Seriously. Anyway, get out of here.”

  “I’m out of here. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  After we’d hung up, I grabbed my wallet and keys. “See you all tomorrow. I’m out.”

  “What?” Bianca piped up. “You’re leaving early?”

  “Boss’s orders.”

  “Lucky bastard,” Scott muttered.

  I just chuckled and got the hell out of there. Knowing this group, when I came in the next morning, there would be a pile of gifts on my desk. Probably a jumbo bottle of ibuprofen, along with some safe-sex pamphlets, a pack of extra-small condoms and a coupon for a walker.

  Whatever. Let them joke. Even if they were going to rib me for it until the end of time, it was good to be out about who I was and who I was seeing.

  Especially now that I was seeing him again.

  I texted Rick on my way to my car and drove like a bat out of hell across town to his neighborhood.

  Normally, when I arrived at his place, he’d be out the front door before I’d made it up the walk. This time, the door stayed closed.

  As I started onto the porch, though, my phone buzzed. Another text, this time with a single word:

  Upstairs.

  I laughed to myself. Calling the shots now, are we?

  The front door was unlocked, so I stepped inside and hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.

  And there beside his bed, the most gorgeous thing I’d seen in a long time:

  Rick. On his knees. Completely naked. Completely hard.

  Our eyes met, and we both grinned.

  “You know…” I crouched in front of him. “Any other time, I might’ve given you hell for giving me orders.” I touched his face, warm electricity rippling up my arm as my fingertips brushed his freshly shaved jaw. “But you look so good like this, how can I say no?”

  His grin got even bigger as he let me draw him in, and the instant our lips touched, he moaned.

  “God, I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too.” I kissed him once more and had every intention of drawing it out, but this position was quickly getting uncomfortable. And I had no idea how long he’d been kneeling like this, so I broke the kiss, stood, and extended my hand. “Come up. Let’s not piss off your knees.”

  “Thank you.” He clasped his hand around my arm, and I helped him to his feet.

  “No Dom/sub games tonight,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. “Another night, definitely. But tonight…”

  “That’s fine with me.” His smile sent my pulse into the stratosphere. “We’ll have plenty of other nights to do that.”

  We would, wouldn’t we? Even more than I’d been before things had gone to shit, I was certain there was a future here, that we had many, many nights ahead of us. There was no hurry.

  Well, no hurry except to get into bed with him now.

  I curved my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down into another kiss.

  He unbuttoned my collar and made it to the second button before his hands wandered to my shoulders. He dragged me down on top of him, and I didn’t protest. Power games were for another night. Right now, nothing mattered except breathing him in and making him come. Not even that—just making him feel good. Making him hot. Touching him. Holding him.

  And my God, I wanted to feel his skin against mine, but removing clothes meant taking my hands off him, so body heat through fabric was just going to have to do. This was definitely enough. All I wanted was him. I could turn him on and turn him inside out. And all because he wanted it, and I wanted it, and there were no contracts or paychecks or careers hanging in the balance. Just him, me and the promise of getting him off—eventually—for no other reason than to make him feel good.

  Somehow, we opened a few buttons on my shirt, and at some point, my belt was unbuckled. Had he done it? Had I? Had it just fallen apart? Didn’t matter. Made it easier for him to unbutton and unzip my pants, and the next thing I knew, they were over my hips, and suddenly skin was touching sensitive skin, and I was so fucking turned on I thought I was going to pass out.

  Still kissing me in between short, uneven breaths, he gripped my half-buttoned shirt, bunching it in his fists as if he thought I might pull away. Not a chance.

  He tried to roll me onto my back, but I pinned him down, and he moaned into my kiss. I used my hips to hold him there, and…fuck. The underside of my cock rubbed his. I loved the way it felt, so I lifted my hips and wrapped my fingers around both our cocks. As I stroked them, I moved against him too. Jesus Christ. I hoped he felt half as good as I did—the friction, the tightness, just being this close to his rock-hard dick. I couldn’t have been more aroused right then if I were deep inside him—just having him in my arms, having his cock in my hand and his body trembling beneath mine, was enough to drive me out of my mind.

  “God, I want to fuck you,” I panted. “Fuck your mouth, and then bend you over and—” A shudder cut me off. “But I don’t…want to let go.”

  “Oh my God,” he groaned as I thrust harder against him.

  And the friction was delicious, but I let him go and ground out, “Get me some lube.”

  He reached for the nightstand and grabbed the bottle.

  I was right—separating long enough to strip, put on a condom and put on some lube would be too much. As it was, taking my hands off him long enough to pour some lube on my palm was too much, and the capped bottle hadn’t even hit the bed before I had to kiss him again.

  Oh, but it was worth it. As I thrust against him, our slick cocks slid across each other inside my tight fist.

  “Holy shit,” he murmured. He pushed back, thrusting from below. “That feels amazing.”

  “Does it?”

  “Uh-huh.” He shivered hard. “God, Jon. Oh my God.”

  I brushed my lips across his, but I was panting too hard, so I settled for one kiss and kept right on thrusting, kept right on driving myself—and please, God, Rick too—closer to a powerful orgasm.

  “Shit. Shit. I am so—” He arched beneath me. “C-can I come?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Come.”

  His whole body tensed so hard, he nearly levitated us both off the bed, and slick semen suddenly lubricated my hand so I could stroke us both even faster, but it was the hot, ragged breath that rushed across my neck that was more than I could take.

  I fucked against him fast and hard, my whole body trembling and the whole world spinning around us.

  As I came down, I had just enough presence of mind to withdraw my hand from between us before I collapsed on top of him.

  He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.” I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Wasn’t even that long, but it fel
t like…way too long.”

  He nodded. “Definitely.”

  “I won’t be gone that long this time. Just getting all the rest of these clothes off.”

  He laughed and released me. “Don’t make me time you.”

  “Back to being bratty already.”

  “Would you want me any other way?”

  “Absolutely not.” I kissed him once more, then stumbled out of bed long enough to peel off the last of my clothes and leave them where they fell on the floor. Naked at last, I joined Rick between the sheets. His queen-size bed could’ve been a twin for all the space we took up. Rick was boneless in my arms, feverish and sweaty, and as I stroked his damp hair, I couldn’t believe I’d ever considered putting anything above him. Financial security was hardly optional, and I needed to take care of my kids, but my pride could go fuck itself. If being the firm’s bitch was the price to pay to be with Rick, to have him like this after sex like that, then Mitchell could lead me around on a leash and paddle my bare ass in front of the whole company for all I cared.

  As I stroked Rick’s hair, my heart still raced even though the sex was over and the panic had passed. I wasn’t turned on anymore. I wasn’t freaking out over being an idiot who’d pushed away the best person I’d ever dated. But my heart still hadn’t caught on to that. Every time it crossed my mind that I’d lost this, even for a matter of hours, and that Rick could have easily turned me away this afternoon at the office, panic surged through me as if I’d imagined this outcome. As if I’d imagined everything, and he wasn’t really speaking to me, lying beside me, loving me.

  Rick turned onto his side.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  He lazily draped his arm over me. “Fucking amazing.”

  “Me too.” I kissed the heel of his hand. “This afternoon scared the hell out of me, but I’m damn sure glad I did it.”

  “So am I.” He touched my face. “What if I’d said no?”

  I shuddered, tamping down a sick feeling. “Then at least you would know how I felt. And that I was sorry for the things I said.” I gestured back the way we came. “And Mitchell would know that he’s not going to run my personal life.”

  “There’s no going back after something like that, though.”

  “I know. But there’s been no going back since the day the firm found out about us. Either I stay in a miserable work environment, answering to people who tried to make me prostitute myself for the company, or I leave. Those were the only two options.” I clasped his hand in both of mine and brought it up to my lips. “But in the end, it didn’t matter which I chose if I didn’t have you. I don’t know how I ever thought that was an option.”

  He touched my arm, and that soft contact sent a shock through my whole body, jolting me. He withdrew his hand. “You okay? You seem kind of jumpy.”

  I nodded, taking his hand and bringing it back, clasping it tight to make sure he was real. “Yeah. I’m good. Just…” I shook my head. “God, I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

  “You weren’t.” He touched his forehead to mine. “Your company put you in a bad spot, and I probably didn’t put you in a better one.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Maybe not, but I should have given you more time to figure out how to cope with it. I… Pushing you away in the middle of all that really didn’t help matters.”

  “It was probably the best thing you could have done, to be honest. Realizing you were gone was what lit the fire under my ass and made me do something about it.” I pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “I am so sorry I ever—”

  “I know you are.” He wrapped his arms around me, his muscles still trembling and his hands unsteady. “It’s all forgiven.”

  I kissed him gently, drawing it out for a moment just to savor the softness of his lips. Eventually, I drew back enough to whisper, “I’ve never been in love with anyone like I am with you.”

  “Neither have I.” He smoothed my hair. “Sometimes I wondered if I’d missed the boat because I was in my forties and still single, but…” He smiled. “You were definitely worth the wait.”

  “So were you.” I paused, laughing softly. “Now that I think about it, though, it’s probably just as well it took us this long to find each other.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because we had a lot of years to get the stupid out of our systems and figure out what doesn’t work.”

  “That’s a good point.” He caressed my face with an unsteady hand. “I’m still not sure if I have all the bugs worked out, but I do know that all I want is for you to be happy. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

  “I have you. I am happy.”

  “What about…”

  “Hmm?”

  He hesitated. “What about your job?”

  “Well, it sounds like they aren’t going to fire me.”

  “But are you going to stay?”

  “I’m not sure how much choice I have.”

  “Jon.” He touched my cheek. “We both know you’re miserable in that place. You were miserable even before they started ordering you to sleep with me.”

  I winced. “I know. But what do I do if I quit? I’m the last of a dying breed around here.”

  He held my gaze. “You… Well, here’s the thing. I think we both know that if we were to ever move in together, you’d still insist on working full-time because you’re not the type to depend on anybody else.”

  “You think?”

  Rick chuckled. “Call it a hunch.” Sobering, he took my hand. “Listen, I would never try to talk you out of that because I know it’s who you are.” He held my gaze, brow pinching slightly. “But there’s something I want to do for you. And yes, it’s financial, but if you’ll accept it—and I’ll understand if you won’t—I think it’ll take some stress off you, whether you stay with the firm or not.”

  I drew back, eyeing him uncertainly.

  He swallowed. “Will you accept it at face value? That I want to do this for you and not because I’m trying to buy you or anything like that?”

  The thought of taking money from him didn’t sit well with my pride, but I couldn’t help being moved by the sentiment of the gesture. I cleared my throat. “Okay. Yeah. I can accept that.” I chewed my lip. “What exactly am I accepting?”

  He ran his thumb along the back of mine. “I want to pay off your kids’ college.”

  I blinked. “Come again?”

  “Tuition. Books. Housing.” He waved his free hand. “Whatever they need. That way they can focus on their studies without sweating over money, and you don’t have to work yourself into the ground either.”

  My pride wanted me to jump up and refuse his offer, but I just stared at him, disbelieving. Not that he was willing to part with some money—God knew it would be a drop in the bucket for him—but that he cared enough about my kids and me to do that.

  “I don’t… I have no idea what to say.”

  “Just say yes or no,” he whispered. “I haven’t met them, but I know they’re your world, and they’re a huge part of why you’re killing yourself for Mitchell & Forsythe. It’s not a judgment of your ability to take care of them and provide for them. I know damn well you can and will pay their way, whatever it takes. This is a gift from me to you. Because I love you.”

  “I love you too, and I…” I shook my head. “My God, Rick. I just can’t believe you’d…”

  “Jon.” He kissed me gently. “I don’t just want to make you happy in the bedroom. And I’ve seen how much of a toll it’s taken on you to finance their education. What kind of partner would I be if I stood back and let that keep eating away at you and them when I could do something about it?”

  I searched his eyes. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  If it had been anything else—paying off my mortgage, buying me a car, putting a Rolex on my wrist—I’d have balked, but this went so far above any kind of gift he ever could have given me. There was nothing mor
e important to me than my children, and he was willing to give them their education. He was willing to make sure they didn’t graduate college with the heavy burden of student loans.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, drawing him in for another kiss. “I don’t think I could ever thank you enough for that.”

  “You already have.”

  I pressed my lips to his, and then I pulled him even closer.

  As we wound each other up again and turned each other on, hands running all over skin and cocks hardening between us, our conversation was never far from my mind. Even as he melted away my ability to form a coherent thought, one last thing remained in my mind, clear as day:

  That I’d been the stupidest man alive to let him go for anything, and I was the luckiest man alive to have him back.

  Epilogue

  A couple of years later.

  From the passenger seat, Rick smiled at me. “So how does it feel to be the dad of a college graduate?”

  “Pretty amazing.” I grinned as I pulled the car into a parking space. As I put the car in Park, I added, “Kind of old, but amazing.”

  He laughed, patting my leg. “Just wait and see how old you feel when you’re walking her down the aisle.”

  “I am so not ready for that.”

  “You have plenty of time to get ready for it.” He leaned across the console and kissed my cheek. “I mean, three months is enough time, right?”

  I tried to glare at him, but we both laughed. I slid my arm around his shoulders and kissed him.

  We exchanged glances. Oh, he knew he was in for it tonight. That little smartass comment had earned him a cock cage tomorrow unless he redeemed himself after we got home. Knowing him, he’d try his damnedest. I couldn’t wait.

  But that would come later. Assuming either of us had any energy left after Kelsey’s graduation this afternoon, and the celebratory dinner we were about to have with the whole clan.

  I shut off the engine, and we headed into the restaurant.