by A. m Madden
One large room with small glass-fronted offices lining the perimeter was the heart and soul of DSS. From the center of the room you could see into every single office, and vice versa. Above us was our private rooftop conference room. It was only utilized during warm-weather days, but the fresh air helped Dax be more creative. During winter months, the floor-to-ceiling windows lining one side of the studio gave him an al fresco aura along with a spectacular view of Fashion Avenue.
One would think that the exposed beams, concrete floors, and industrial light fixtures would make for a very cold atmosphere. But the true beauty of the space came from the artistic brilliance found in the fabrics piled high on tables, the vision boards that covered every inch of the exposed brick walls, and the racks and racks of finished garments from previous seasons.
In the center of the studio was the Table, the main attraction to all things Dax Storm. It sat twelve of us comfortably, and at the Table Dax created many of his designs and revealed them to us. Weekly staff meetings were held there. It was where we all had the absolute privilege of watching Dax craft an idea into wearable art.
I literally had one foot into the studio when Betha got into my face and barked, “You got laid!”
“Betha, shut it!” I looked around our studio, before lowering my voice. “I did not.”
“You didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t.” She looked completely devastated, as if my denial just single-handedly ruined all her future orgasms.
“But you look like you did.”
“Um…no, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. You have the rosy cheek thing going, and you are wearing your love-knot earrings.”
“It’s like ten degrees outside.” My one hand automatically went to the knot that sat on my earlobe. “And, so?”
“You only wear them when you’re either in love or had hot sex.”
“Have you been drinking?” I asked with an annoyed shake of my head while walking toward my office.
Undeterred, Betha followed like a puppy dog, adding, “It’s true. You wore them after you and Vince broke up and you moped about making the wrong decision for days because you loved him so much. Which I still maintain was not love, but contentment.” My mind tried to remember what she was talking about, but I came up blank. “And, then, the last time you pulled them out was the day after you met that hottie at Dax’s fall launch. It was your first one-night stand. You never called me back yesterday. So, either you are falling in love or you had sex!” Her next outburst came even louder than the first.
“I didn’t have sex!” Thankfully, only a few of our co-workers in their fishbowl offices raised their heads….Most were used to Betha’s big mouth.
“So, that must mean that you are falling in love.”
“Stop bothering me. Dax is going to be here any minute and I have a shit ton of work to do.”
“You were with him, right?” she persisted. The moment I placed the lattes on my desk, she shamelessly lifted one and claimed it as her own.
“Yes, I was with him.”
Taking my time removing my coat, scarf, and gloves, I purposely ignored her as she stood with one hand holding a latte and the other on her hip, waiting for my explanation. “And?”
“And, nothing. He called me, asked me to spend the day with him, which I did, and that’s it. No sex. No love. Stop bothering me.”
“You. Are. So. Full. Of. Shit.” She pointed a finger at me and added, “Something happened. You wouldn’t have that gaga look on your face if it didn’t.”
Shit, do I have a gaga look on my face?
“Good morning, my loyal servants!” Dax boisterously announced as he entered the studio. “Did you all miss me?” His eyes found mine and he curled a finger to motion me over.
“This discussion isn’t over!” Betha called out as I left her standing in my office.
“What isn’t over?” Dax jumped on her threat.
“Nothing.” I gave him a warm hug, which he reciprocated. From the corner of my eye I watched Betha sullenly leave my office en route to hers. “Welcome back. How was London?”
“Freezing. Rainy. Blah.” He stepped away and removed his leather coat and gloves, throwing them on the back of a chair. “Can we meet in twenty for the deal?”
“Yes, we’ll be ready.”
The deal he referred to was a play-by-play of all and anything that happened in the studio during his absence. He was a very hands-on boss and liked to get the lowdown from his employees, gossip included.
“Maygen…delivery.” Karen’s voice came over the intercom.
“Are we expecting something?” Dax asked with one foot in his office.
“Not that I know of, but I’ll go look.”
Before I walked out to reception, I poked my head into Betha’s office. “He wants the deal in twenty. Can you spread the word?”
“Sure, ex–best friend.”
“Oh my God. You’re driving me crazy.”
“Whatev.”
I hurried out to reception, scanning the area and expecting to see either a box of fabric or a portfolio case. Karen sat behind her desk, headset in place, repeating over and over, “DSS, please hold.”
Leaning in, I whispered, “Where is it?”
She pointed to an adorable desktop Christmas tree complete with miniature ornaments. Pointing a finger toward it, I asked, “What’s this?”
Karen shrugged, not breaking stride. “DSS, please hold.”
Sitting among the branches was an envelope with my name typed on the front. Wondering if David sent me a Christmas tree, I picked it up and carried it back to my desk.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Betha once again sitting in my office.
“What’s that?”
“A tree.”
“I can see that.” She snatched the envelope before I had a chance to. A smirk spread over her Chanel Classic Red lips. “Huh…isn’t that interesting?”
“Who’s it from?”
“It says, ‘Maygen. Does it feel like Christmas now? D.’ ”
“David?”
“Do you know another D?”
“It doesn’t seem his style.” I racked my brain trying to think of another D who could possibly have sent it. I plucked the card from Betha’s hand and read it myself to be sure. “Dax?” I called out.
“What?”
I walked to my door and asked, “Did you send me this?”
He glanced at what I pointed to. “No.”
“So now that we determined it wasn’t Dax, why is David sending you a Christmas tree?”
“When he was at my apartment yesterday he questioned why I didn’t have any decorations up. I said I haven’t had a chance, and it really didn’t feel like Christmas.”
“Aw, how sweet is that?”
I couldn’t argue with her. This was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. A grin spread at the memory of him sitting on my couch, feeding me ice cream. I may have admitted I liked him yesterday, but after this I had to admit that I really liked him.
I wasn’t able to reminisce about my hot new friend for long because Dax barked out, “Where are my peeps? Let’s go, people, we have work to do!”
Quickly shooting off a text thanking David, which he responded to immediately, I made my way out to our weekly staff meeting.
With my mind on a hot vet, I wasn’t sure how I managed to actually work for the next few hours. Before I knew it, Betha popped in asking if I wanted to go out and grab lunch. I asked her to bring me back a sandwich and dove right back into the mountain of notes Dax had asked me to transfer to his digital journal. Why the man didn’t simply type them into a laptop or tablet to begin with was beyond me. He claimed his laptop, phone, and any modern gadget hated him.
“Maygen. Visitor!” Karen’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers. My heart immediately flipped. I never got visitors.
Could it be? “Nah,” I said out loud.
Dax was sitting at the Table staring down
at some proofs. Without lifting his head, he said, “I need you, baby girl.”
“One second. I’ll be right back.”
My steps halted right before I reached the glass doors leading to reception. I saw him before he saw me. He faced the holiday display the creative team came up with every year. This year’s display featured a village filled with Smurfs complete with Christmas trees, baby menorahs, and even tiny Kwanzaa candelabras.
Karen’s eyes were pinned to David. She suspiciously wasn’t answering any calls, and when she saw me she mouthed, “Oh my God.”
Dragging in a deep breath and releasing it, I opened the door and said, “Hey.”
He turned with a confused expression that morphed into a smile when he saw me. “Hey, beautiful. Smurfs?” he asked, thumbing toward the display.
“Creative thought it’d be funny.” I shrugged. “What are you doing here?”
He lifted a box wrapped in Santa paper that sat on the table. “I brought you a present.”
I lifted the lid, and inside sat two lattes from Great Perks. Unable to hide my smile—not that I wanted to—I took the opportunity to tease him for once. “Aw, you shouldn’t have. Just what I’ve always wanted. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Does it feel like Christmas now?”
“Thanks to you it’s getting there.”
Dax opened the door just as David stepped closer.
“Baby doll, I need you in the sample room.”
“Okay, Dax, I’m coming.”
David looked up and raised a brow when he saw Dax. “Sorry, man. I’ll be out of here in a minute.”
With a slow nod, Dax responded, “That’s cool. Sorry to interrupt.” He threw me a wink and left us alone with Karen, who still hadn’t answered a single phone call.
“Please tell me he’s gay,” David whispered against my ear. He kept his head pressed up against mine waiting for my response. The feel of his scruff against my cheek along with his warm breath caused my skin to prickle in more ways than one.
“Um…he’s not,” I whispered back.
“That dude isn’t gay?”
“No. Sorry.”
David kissed my neck before quickly looking up to where Dax stood waiting for me on the other side of the glass doors.
“Fuck, then lie to me, please.”
The look on his face was intense and serious, and it caused my stomach to flip. He took the box from my hands and placed it back on the coffee table. With his eyes pinned to mine, he pulled me against his hard body, tucked a stray hair behind my ear, and gave me a smoldering kiss. It left me breathless and completely turned on.
“Have a great day, beautiful.”
The moment he stepped into the elevator, Dax opened the glass doors and said, “Can you join me now or do you need a private moment?” Behind him Betha stood, gawking at the now-closed elevator doors.
“I’m coming.”
“I don’t doubt it after that kiss,” he teased.
Not only was I mortified that Karen had witnessed David’s caveman display, but I was even more so that Dax had as well.
Wordlessly, I followed my boss to the DSS elevators with my cheeks blazing from embarrassment and dreading the third degree that would be sure to come. I couldn’t have been too annoyed at David, since an internal debate ensued over whether to follow him or continue with my workday.
Chapter 10
David
My head hurt from the Ping-Pong game that overran my brain.
First off, I debated for a long time on whether going to her office was a bad idea, but then thought—fuck it. Seeing her professionally dressed in her work environment was an unexpected turn-on. Unfortunately, it was short-lived after meeting her boss. He looked more like a movie star, and not anything like the flamboyant gay fashion designer I had conjured up in my head.
The fact that she was working for a hot, rich, straight fashion designer shouldn’t have gotten my balls in a twist. She was just a woman I met, so what? But then my fucked-up brain had to smash the Ping-Pong ball for the win…because he was indeed a hot, rich, STRAIGHT fashion designer and just another person who she’d probably be better off with. Obviously, I had no idea if anything ever went on between them, and it was clear she and I had a connection. But I couldn’t shake the voices deep inside that screamed if things did progress between us she deserved so much better than me.
In spite of the confused mess of thoughts that had taken my brain hostage, there I was standing outside her apartment door. A few long minutes passed, and I couldn’t bring myself to knock.
A sit-down with my brain was in order. It seriously needed to get its shit together, because the rest of my body, which happened to be controlled by my cock, was sick and tired of my brain’s imbecilic logic. To my brain’s defense, knocking on her door after sending her a Christmas tree and delivering lattes would be a game changer. It would scream, Yep, I’m into you and I don’t care that you know it.
Was I into her?
Obviously.
Did I want her to know it?
I was still on the fence with this one.
“Ah, fuck it,” I said out loud before knocking on her door.
“One sec!” she called from inside her apartment. A few moments later, she opened the door and gasped. I couldn’t see her due to the giant Douglas fir I had propped between her door and me.
“Um…hello?”
From behind the tree I said, “Does it feel like Christmas now?”
“Oh my God,” she said on a laugh. “David?”
Poking my head around the fir, I smiled and said, “That’s me.”
“You’re crazy!”
“I’ve been called worse. Um, can I come in? My hands are getting sticky, and not the good kind of sticky.”
“Yes, come in!”
I carried the tree into her apartment. “Where do you want it?”
“Let me clear a space by the window. You can prop it up against the wall.”
“There’s a stand attached. I come prepared.” After she moved an ottoman and a small table, I set up the tree in the corner and asked, “Can I wash my hands?”
“Of course.”
Once done, I strode over to where she stood with her back to me admiring my gift. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and almost moaned when she leaned into my body.
“I assume you have lights and ornaments, or do I need to deliver another present tomorrow?”
She laughed and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Good. So, I have a bone to pick with you,” I said while looking down at her over her shoulder.
“Me?” She turned in my arms with a smile. “What did I do?”
“You opened the door without asking who it was. I could have been a murderer.”
“Of course, a murderer using a gigantic fir tree as his disguise?”
“Sure.”
“Well, since security downstairs didn’t call to announce your arrival, and the only unannounced visitors I get are my neighbors, I could turn the tables and ask how you got up to my apartment.”
“Felix likes me.”
“He does, does he? You’re on a first-name basis with building security?”
“Yeah. I’m very charming.” My lips met hers for a hard, chaste kiss. “Hi.”
“Hi. You don’t have to keep buying me trees.”
“I know. I’m done now.”
“Well, thank God. Would now be a horrible time to tell you that I’m allergic to them?”
“No fucking way.”
“Ah, gotcha.” I swatted her ass, causing her to squeal adorably. “Seriously, with the tiny tree and lattes, and now this, you made my day today.” She rose on her tiptoes and gave me a returning kiss that was much sweeter, much softer than the one I gave her. “Are you staying?” she asked when she pulled away.
“Are you asking?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m staying.”
“Okay, I was just about to get changed.” The slim black skirt
and clingy black blouse that induced an instant hard-on at her office looked pretty damned good to me. “Make yourself comfortable and then we’ll order up dinner.”
“Sounds good.” I wanted to admit I’d rather have her for dinner, but I didn’t want her to think I showed up with a huge tree as a desperate attempt for a booty call. I released her and watched her sweet little body walk down the hall.
“David?” she called out before entering her bedroom.
“Yeah?”
“Help yourself to a beer. The bottle opener is in the drawer to the left of the sink.”
I walked into the kitchen and found a bottle of Heineken in her fridge. After popping the cap off, I leaned against her cabinet to take a swig of the ice-cold beer. Movement in the hall captured my attention, and I realized it was a mirror that provided me a hot-as-fuck reflection of Maygen standing in a pink bra and matching thong.
With her back facing the door, the globes of her ass were on display, and her hair fell in long waves between the slim straps of her bra. As my eyes feasted on her, she leaned over, allowing me to get a good glimpse of the thong running from her ass to her pussy. I felt like a creeper, standing there dumbstruck while all the blood instantly rushed into my cock, forcing it to grow into a raging hard-on.
She pulled on a pair of black leggings before reaching for a black T-shirt. Just before she pulled it over her head, she turned enough to give me a glimpse of two pebbled nipples revealing themselves beneath the sheer pink lace.
Sweet Jesus.
Fuck, I was so hard I could drive nails with my cock. The condensation on the bottle I held in my hand caused it to slip, breaking my trance and forcing me to look away from Maygen. Sheer luck had me catching it before it crashed on her tiled floor.
What the fuck was I doing?
I should be ashamed of myself, standing there gawking at her as I was. But what I felt besides the disgust that caused bitterness to coat the back of my throat was a crushing desire that consumed me from head to toe.
Maygen
