by Mia Ford
“Ava,” I said with a sigh. “I love you, too. I’ve been waiting forever for you to just be open and honest with me about how you felt. I knew you were holding back and that you were scared, but I couldn’t be the one to force you to open up to me about these things. You had to make the decision to do so. You are one of the most amazing women I have ever met, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than working and living with you by my side. You have become my partner in crime, the woman who wanted me, not the CEO of MJ, but me, Tanner.”
“It is pretty sexy that you’re my boss.” She laughed and sent me a suggestive wink.
“You’re a mess,” I laughed, pulling her in close.
“So, you want to give this a go, be with each other completely?”
“That sounds absolutely amazing,” I said, pulling back and leaning down for her mouth.
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in toward me, kissing her with passion. She whined softly as our lips pressed hard against each other, and our tongues tasted the salt on each other’s lips. That moment felt so perfect, so right, and I couldn’t be happier with the way things had turned out. Finally, we could be a couple, a family, without secrets and stressors holding us back. We could make love and know the other person would be there the next day. We could have an argument and not fear that it was the end of everything. We could be a normal couple, well, as normal of a couple as she and I could get. On top of all of that, she would be working alongside me to grow and push MJ to the next level.
If two people could be so completely perfect for each other, it would be us. We were like two crazy puzzle pieces that fit together but was really hard to find. She pulled back, breathing heavily from the kiss, looking me deep in my eyes. She shook her head and giggled, and I smiled curiously.
“You’re my boyfriend.” She giggled.
“That, I am,” I said, laughing. “For as long as you will have me.”
“Mmmm,” she said, leaning her head on my chest. “I can’t think of anything better than having you in my life for as far as I can think into the future.”
I hated Mondays, but this one may have not turned out so bad after all. I had the career, the best friend, and I had just gotten the girl.
Chapter 34
Ava
I grasped onto Tanners hand tightly and peered up at him with a smile as we walked into the restaurant. I looked across the floor and waved at my dad already seated and waiting for us. I had called him when I woke up, telling him all about the night before and asking him to go to lunch with us. He seemed really happy for me, and that warmed my heart. We walked over to the table, and I kissed my dad on the cheek before sitting down in the chair Tanner had pulled out for me. He reached over and shook my father’s hand, giving him a pat on the back. I was so excited to see my dad and be free to be in public with Tanner as my boyfriend. I reached over under the table and laid my hand on Tanner’s knee, smiling at him as he wrapped his hand over it.
“How was work?”
“Crazy,” Tanner said, shaking his head.
“Yeah, the company had all the new employees in the building in the financial area for a meeting,” I said. “At first, it was like a showdown, but once they started to get to know each other, they actually started to get along really fast. Everyone seemed to be on board with the change management plan, and those who currently work in the building vowed to help the new employees get what they needed to survive.”
“Wow.” My dad nodded his head up and down. “You sound like you’ve got it all together.”
“She does.” Tanner said with a mock grimace. “She’s harder on them than me.”
“That’s like Gestapo.” My father laughed. “You know what? I really missed you as a friend, Tanner.”
“I missed you too, man,” Tanner said smiling.
“And you two look so happy,” Dad said. “You really did pick the right partner in life. Ava, I doubt I could ever be upset with you, even if I tried. You guys have my blessing and support as you go through life. You really showed me how much you have grown up. It’s refreshing but makes me feel old and washed up.”
“I’ll always need you, Daddy,” I said smiling. “And your blessing means so much to me, to both of us really. We wanted to be in a position to be together without any drama or anger, and you made that possible.”
“I will say this though, Tanner,” my dad said looking at him and shaking his finger. “You hurt my little girl, and I will take you out.”
“Understood,” Tanner laughed. “But if you are planning my demise, you might want to hit up the gym. It’s not going to work too well if you are chasing me with your electric scooter.”
“Very funny, asshole,” my dad said.
We all burst out into laughter, taking in the moment and really feeling like everything was starting to look up. I grabbed onto Tanner’s hand, feeling so close to him and wanting him even closer. He looked at me and smiled, leaning his head against mine. The rest of dinner was a blast, sharing stories of when I was a little girl, stories of Tanner getting in trouble when they were younger, and stories about my dad getting into trouble when he was younger. I loved sharing all of this, and though my mother was a pain in the ass, I was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t there as well. My father was trying to work things out with her and had gotten an apartment in the city. They were treating their relationship with kid gloves, and my father said they had started dating again. I smiled at the thought of my dad showing up to the front door with a bouquet of flowers, nerves rushing through him. It was adorable.
I was really interested when Tanner started talking about his childhood. He hadn’t told me really anything about his family, and I was so excited to learn more about him. I wanted to be his closest confidant, his best friend, and his lover. We had no problem in the lovemaking department, but the rest of it had to grow as we did. When lunch was over, my father walked us out, taking in a deep breath of the cool fall air. We said our goodbyes and promised lunch the next week at the same time before climbing into the back of Tanner’s town car.
“I need to stop by my place and pick something up, if that’s okay,” I said.
“Sure,” Tanner replied, leaning up to the driver and giving those directions.
When we got to the apartment and the door was closed behind us, it was like a fire was lit between the two of us. We didn’t jump each other, but instead, he watched me as I walked through the house, looking for the papers I had forgotten. I went back into my bedroom to turn lights off I had forgotten that morning. When I turned, Tanner had walked into the room and looked around. He took two steps toward me and pushed me down on the bed, quickly pulling my pants down and laying them on the dresser. I wasn’t expecting anything like that, but I was more than happy to oblige.
He walked forward, rubbing his hands up my thighs and hooking his fingers in the sides of my white lace thong and pulled them off. He smiled up at me as he pushed my thighs apart, pulling himself up on the bed on his stomach. He leaned his face down into my pussy and immediately started licking it with passion. I leaned my head back and moaned loudly, as he went to town, flicking his tongue against my clit, and circling through my wetness. I relaxed my body into the bed and spread my legs wide, wanting to feel his tongue, wanting to hear his groans as my body moved with the motions of his mouth.
I lifted my hips and began to grind, running my hands through his hair. He moved his hands up and pushed one finger and then two fingers inside of me, wiggling the tips of his fingers inside. I moaned again, wanting more and more as my body grew closer to explosion. He reached up and rubbed my clit with his thumb as his tongue took the place of his fingers. I gripped tighter into his hair, pushing his face into my pussy and fucking his mouth. As the moments went by, it got wilder and more animalistic. I couldn’t help but scream out, feeling his warm wet mouth massaging my mound. He groaned as he sopped up my juices, frantically running his tongue through my folds. Everything in me wanted to fuck him, but this t
ime, I would let him pleasure me.
He reached up and pulled on my hips, smashing his face into my wet pussy. I whined as my body moved in waves against him, feeling the heat in my stomach begin to increase and boil over. He reached back down and began to finger me hard and deep as he sucked on my clit. I took my hands from his hair and grabbed the comforter beneath me, screaming his name as he tipped me over the edge. My back arched and eyes rolled back as I took a deep breath and enjoyed every single ripple of pleasure flowing through my muscles. When the breath left my lungs, a low groan that came from me. His hands slowed and his face lifted from my mound.
When the last of the orgasm had completed, he kissed my folds and stood up, looking as if he were getting ready to go. I sat up and shook my head, turning over on all fours and crawling toward him. He looked down and smiled as I unbuckled his pants and pulled his cock out of his boxers. I stroked it several times, looking up at his face as he groaned and leaned his head back. His cock was already rock solid, so I knew this wasn’t going to take forever. I tugged on his pants until they fell around his ankles, and then, I swung around, sitting up on the edge of the bed. I reached my hands around as I put my lips around the head of his cock and slid them slowly down his shaft. My hands squeezed his ass hard and then came back around, cupping his nuts.
He growled as I looked up at him, my mouth full of his dick. I swirled my tongue around his shaft, feeling every inch of it against the back of my throat. His hands were on his waist, and I grabbed them, pulling them to my hair. He put his palm on the back of my head and pushed me down slowly, making sure I didn’t stop until my mouth was touching the base of his cock. As my mouth pleasured him, I could feel his dick swelling and his neediness increase. He wrapped both hands into my hair and held on tightly, pushing and pulling as I sucked his cock just the way he wanted.
I opened my mouth and throat as he held my head still, thrusting his hips into me, fucking my mouth deep and hard. He kept watch to make sure he wasn’t too rough, but I wanted it that way. Whatever was hot to him instantly turned me on, and taking control of his blow job was, without question, on the list of erotic materials. Suddenly, his motions became stronger, and he groaned loudly as he fucked me harder and harder. I moaned with his cock in my throat, knowing that he was reaching his peak. I wanted to taste him come in my mouth so badly.
He thrust his hips forward, looking down and watching as the shaft flowed in and out of my mouth. I kept my hand firmly placed on his nuts, massaging them as his cock did the hard work. He pushed his hips forward deep and slow several times, the last time, shoving it all the way down my throat and pulsing his hips against my mouth. He took in a deep breath and stepped backward, stroking his cock with his hands. I opened my mouth and hovered underneath his pulsing cock. I could feel it as the stream of his hot seed exploded from the head, streaming over my mouth and chin. I moaned as I licked and sucked on the head, getting every last bit as he shouted out his pleasure above me, his legs beginning to quiver.
When he was done, he walked into my bathroom and grabbed a towel, walking back in and cleaning off any remaining come from my face and neck. He leaned down and kissed my lips. With a smile, he tossed the towel in the dirty clothes hamper and pulled his boxers and pants back on. I reached out and took the clothes he was handing me and got myself dressed again. I sat on the edge pulling on my heels before taking his hand and heading out of the apartment. There was a silence between us, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was complete and showed the level of ease between us.
When we reached work, I went inside and sat down at my desk, glancing up at Tanner sitting at his desk across the hall. He looked up and caught my glaze, flashing his big charming smile at me. I was so in love with that man, and though a week ago, I thought I would never be with him, today was the beginning of the rest of our lives together. We were perfectly in sync with each other in a way I hadn’t ever seen before. We were best friends, partners, and lovers, exactly what I always wanted from him. MJ may be the merger on everyone’s mind, but in my head, the merger between the two of us was the single biggest life changing event I had ever experienced. I was desperately in love with that man, and he was finally all mine.
Epilogue
Tanner
It had been a year since Ava and I finally decided to let go of everything holding us back and just be together in every way possible. It had truly been the best year of my life. It was amazing how good our relationship was when we didn’t have to worry about hiding or lying to anyone, when we had the support of her family and the support of the people around us. We were the happiest we had ever been, and to my surprise, that did not hinder my ability to kick ass with my company. It had ended up increasing my productivity. I was in a good mood all the time, and from that, I drew motivation.
About six months into the relationship, she left her apartment and moved into the penthouse. We hired a decorator and made the place a lot homier and something that we could call ours. I loved having her there all the time, going to sleep with her at night, and waking up to her beautiful face. She loved to cook when we got home from work, and I would never complain about that. My kitchen was finally getting some action for once, at least some action that didn’t involve hot, sweaty naked bodies.
Dean and I had continued to grow closer and closer, and after a year, we were right where we had been two decades before when we started MJ together. He and Lindy had ended up working everything out, and he moved back into the house. I saw such a transformation in that woman, it was nuts, and if I hadn’t seen it slowly unfold, I wouldn’t have believed it. She went from the snooty rich woman to the woman everyone wanted to be around. She would do picnics, go on adventures, and she loved coming to visit Ava in the penthouse. Dean’s life ended up better than he could have imagined.
I looked across the table at the old bastard and laughed, watching him trying to order Chinese food from the waitress. He was never very good at pronouncing the names, so he just pointed and nodded when he ordered. It was really good to be out to dinner with Dean, but this time wasn’t our normal dudes evening out. It was special, or at least it was to me. Ava was with her mom at the house, working on the fall harvests in their garden. I’d asked Dean to join me at dinner, using the excuse to get away from the women for a bit, even though neither one of us wanted to leave their sides. After we ordered and our drinks were delivered, Dean leaned back in the chair and started stretching. He looked at me with curiosity obviously noticing that I was feeling a tab bit nervous over what I wanted to talk to him about.
“So,” he said, yawning. “What’s the special occasion.”
“I want to talk to you about something.” I tried a smile, but I’m not sure it didn’t come across as stiff and unnatural.
“All right. Whatcha got?”
“Ava and I have been seeing each other for over a year,” I said. “I love her more than anything in this world, and I knew a year ago that this was the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with. So, I wanted to bring you here today to ask you for permission to propose to Ava.”
I pulled out the ring I had gotten her and showed Dean. He whistled at the large shimmering stone and shook his head in amazement. I had picked out something really special for her, and I didn’t give a damn about how expensive it was, which he likely knew.
“Man,” he laughed. “I knew this was coming. I had a serious feeling in my gut.”
“What do you say?”
“Well, if she’s into old guys and understands your balls will be by your knees soon,” he said, laughing, “then I absolutely give my blessing on your marriage. It takes a special kind of woman to be secure in that.”
“Thanks.” I laughed, too, but more in relief than anything. “This won’t be part of the story when people ask how I proposed.”
“Understandable.” He chuckled. “But seriously, I would love nothing more than for you and Ava to get married. She is pretty much head over heels in love with you, and it’s
only gotten stronger over the last year.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. “Do I call you Dad?”
“If you want a throat punch.” He shrugged
We ate our lunch, laughing back and forth at each other’s jokes. It was definitely going to be an interesting dynamic, but I couldn’t think of any better father-in-law than my own best friend. Of course, I would never call him that in public, and it was a little strange to think about it. After lunch, we parted ways, and I jumped in a cab to head back to the office. The adrenaline in my chest was pumping at that point, and I couldn’t wait to see the look on Ava’s face when I proposed to her. I had been so sneaky, and she didn’t have a clue that I got her a ring and wanted to propose to her. I knew she didn’t need me to. She was happy just being with me, but I knew there weren’t many other things in this world that would bring me greater joy than making Ava my wife. We could start a family, have some rug rats, and simply enjoy life with each other.
When the car pulled up out front of the building, I got out, pulling the ring box from my pocket and opening it one last time. Seeing the ring and how perfect it was for Ava gave me even more motivation to ask her. Sure, the office wasn’t the most romantic place for a proposal, but that was where both of our hearts were, and I found it poetic that she got engaged in the same place we fell in love. I rode the elevator up the stairs and started whispering to everyone through all the cubicles. I had them call upstairs to the others in the office and then waited until everyone was down in one place. I put my finger in front of my lips and held up the ring box. People covered their mouths, trying not to give it away. Slowly, we crept down the hall and toward Ava’s office.
I poked my head around the corner and smiled, catching her attention. She looked up and grinned, putting down her pen and pushing the chair back. She walked forward and out of the office, freezing as soon as she saw a ton of employees following me like the Pied Piper. She looked at them suspiciously and then back at me, unsure of what was going on. I smiled big as I took her hand and lowered myself down onto one knee. Ava put her hand over her mouth and gasped as I looked up into her eyes.
