by CM Albert
“Shut your face!” Lindy said, squealing. “And?”
“And what?”
“Did you love it?”
I nodded. “I kind of did. I mean, I never thought I’d like that. But my god. The man just knows how to make everything come alive, you know? I mean, I had orgasms that had orgasms.”
“What are we even talking about again?” Lindy asked dreamily.
“Fuck if I know,” I said. “But I need to go take a walk or something because I’m all kinds of frustrated now.”
“Girl, you need to keep a vibrator in your desk. That’s what I do.”
“What?” I gawked at my best friend like she had two heads.
“Well, sometimes a girl has needs and her Walter’s not around. So, I pull up some porn on my phone, pop in my clit-sucking vibrator, and let Tracy’s Dog go to town.”
“I do not even want to know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“I swear I’m getting you one for your birthday,” she said, standing up. “Oh, wait. That was Saturday. Fuck.”
“I don’t need a birthday gift, Lindy. You’re all I need. Thanks for talking this out with me.”
“Anytime. Now, I’ll be on Do Not Disturb for the next half hour, so don’t text me. All this sex talk got me fired up.”
I closed my eyes. “I really wish I didn’t know all this about you.”
“Don’t be jealous, bitch,” she said, flouncing from my office.
I sighed. She was right. I was frustrated. That was the problem.
Ever since yesterday, all I could think about was meeting up with Pierce tonight. And now? The only meeting I’d be doing with him was in a conference room. And not in the fun way I’d imagined while talking with Lindy.
I could not go in there all sexually charged up like this. I’d be a fucking live wire and embarrass myself. I used the intercom to call Rhonda. “I need to run to the drug store over my lunch break. Forward all my calls for the rest of the afternoon. When I get back, I need to be uninterrupted to finish these edits today. Keep everyone out—including Lindy.”
“Will do, Miss Hartley,” she said pleasantly.
By the time I got back from grabbing my lunch and going to the drugstore, it was one o’clock. I had four hours until I needed to face Mr. Abrams. My insides ached just thinking about seeing him again.
I pulled out my phone and did a search on Pierce Abrams. It didn’t take long for me to find dozens of images of him in the news. I ignored the stories and went straight for the pics. I found one of him in a tux, his dark brown hair slicked back at a red-carpet event. He had a beard in this picture, and it was all kinds of hot and distracting.
I was about to turn on the “personal massager” that I bought from CVS when I thought better of it. If I was going to go into a meeting with Pierce, I needed to not think about him that way right before I walked in. So, instead, I pulled up some pictures of my childhood best friend again. There were dozens of them because he’d played football in university. I enlarged one of the images of Noah on the field, shirtless, after he scored. His hair was a rich, sun-kissed golden blond, bordering on light brown. He had a severe case of five o’clock shadow going on, his beard almost looking a little ginger in the light. And his sexy hazel eyes were lasered back at me, his arms flexing in victory.
He was hot, sweaty, and manly.
Yeah, that did it for me. I closed my eyes and cataloged that image into my brain, willing myself not to let my mind wander back to Pierce. Instead I rehashed Noah’s words in my head as I raised my skirt and pressed the bulbous massager head over my clit.
“Perhaps like our own story.”
Would we have an us story? Or would his return home be nothing more than a simple reunion between old friends?
I tried to imagine what it would be like to kiss Noah again, this time as the sexy thirty-year-old man I’d seen online. The scratch of his beard, the golden skin beneath my fingertips. Would it feel like coming home? Would I get butterflies again?
But as much as I tried, it wasn’t Noah’s face that kept coming to the front of my mind as I melted under the steady thrum of my personal massager.
I was officially screwed, and not in a good way either.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HE ACTUALLY MADE me wait. I already felt like I was going to throw up and couldn’t concentrate on Megan Morris’s book to save my life. The mini “massage” session earlier did nothing more than stoke the slow-burning embers already left by Pierce yesterday. It didn’t help that Lindy never popped by my office after her meeting with our new boss, and she wasn’t answering my calls either.
To pass the time, I followed up with Noah’s PA and set an appointment for the following Tuesday morning to discuss Eve Donohue’s book—which meant this week would be nonstop busy as I finished the project I was currently working on and worked my way through hers. But if I could land Eve Donohue for Sterling and Masters, it would be a real coup. Something Carlisa wouldn’t be able to overlook when she got back. I also carved out time to respond to Noah on a personal level because, if I was being truthful with myself, his email touched me in a surprising, tender way.
I used to dream about Noah when I was a teenager, imagining where he lived, who he went to school with, and what he’d grown up to look like. Over the years, I had to let my childhood fantasy slip away and embrace the messy, passionate, complex life that was right in front of me. That didn’t mean, though, that the romantic in me didn’t sometimes fantasize about Noah showing up one day. My heart hammered at the idea that “someday” was here, and that in a week, we’d be face to face again. The thought made my stomach do somersaults. I couldn’t wait to tell Grampa. Surely, he’d remember Noah.
At least, I hoped he would.
Just when I was about to throw in the towel, Rhonda buzzed my intercom and told me that Pierce would see me now. It was seven freaking thirty. I took a deep breath and steeled myself, making my way into the common area. That’s when I realized I had no idea where Pierce’s office was. I found Rhonda packing up her things to go home.
“Sorry, Rhonda, but can you tell me which office Pierce is using? I realized it wasn’t on the original invite, and I haven’t received an updated one from him.”
“Of course, dear. He’s in the large corner office, right next to yours. The CIO’s old office.”
I swallowed. He’d been right next door to me all day long?
My lips went dry, and I felt light-headed.
“Are you okay?” Rhonda asked. “Can I get you a water or something?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, feeling foolish. “Just surprised, I guess, that he took an office bigger than Carlisa’s.”
“Well, he couldn’t have hers, since she’s coming back,” she pointed out.
Don’t remind me.
“Right. Well, have a nice evening, Rhonda!” I said, making my way back toward my office. This made it even stranger that Lindy hadn’t stopped by after her meeting. She could’ve at least texted me to give me a heads-up. This would’ve been a “nice to know.”
Pierce’s door was closed. His office had glass windows, like all the formal office spaces on our floor. Junior associates sat in the common area in cubicles, but department leads got closed-door offices. It was a perk I was quite happy about. I’d spent too many years in “the pit,” as we jokingly called it.
I knocked on Pierce’s door and bit my lower lip. I thought he would call me in and make me sit across from him at his desk, so my stomach was all twisted in knots. Instead, he surprised me when he opened the door, grinned, and pulled me inside—and straight into his arms.
I wasn’t prepared for the heat of his lips as his mouth crashed against mine. Or the way his hands possessively pulled me close to his body, wrapping tightly up my back as if he couldn’t get me close enough. I couldn’t help the pull or the desire to kiss him bac
k. I didn’t think with my managing editor brain. I let emotions take over and did nothing but feel with my heart.
I felt everything that was in that kiss.
And I gave back just as much. All the emotions from our shotgun weekend bubbled forward, and I found myself hungry for Pierce in a way I’d never craved a man before.
It bordered on obsession.
When the kiss finally tempered and our energy subdued enough to breathe again, Pierce pulled back, looking down into my heart with his striking blue eyes.
“Well, this was a plot twist I didn’t see coming,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. He brushed my hair aside and ran his fingers along my neck, making my body shiver under his touch.
“I’ve been worried about seeing you all day,” I admitted. “This isn’t good, Pierce.”
He laughed, pulling me further into his office. “No. It’s great, actually.”
I looked around his new office space. Somehow, he’d already had it decorated to his liking, giving the large space a complete facelift. I felt like I was getting a glimpse into the man.
The walls were now painted a soft, muted gunmetal gray, and floor-to-ceiling, open-backed bookcases lined the wall adjoining my office. A ginormous vintage art piece depicting an old record player hung on the wall between the bookcases, directly behind Pierce’s desk, showcasing the creative side of his personality.
He’d had a bluish gray area rug brought in that was faded and distressed-washed, and it covered nearly all the hardwood floor. And the man’s desk was a work of art—all golden oak, metal, and modern. A funky Edison bulb chandelier gave him some ambient light over his desk and was just a cool statement piece.
“Impressive,” I said. As I glanced over at the seating area with the pecan-colored Denmark sofa and two conversation chairs, something didn’t add up. One thing was clear: Pierce was most definitely here to stay. He wouldn’t have invested this kind of money into personalizing his office otherwise.
While the thought secretly thrilled me, my heart also sank a little as my dream of becoming the editorial executive deflated like a sad balloon. I had to come to terms with the fact that the man I’d slept with—but barely knew—was now my new boss.
“How are you doing?” he asked, studying me as I took in all the personal artifacts he’d lined his shelves with.
“About as good as I can be after finding out my torrid one-night stand is actually my new boss.” I glanced at a framed picture of a men’s ice hockey team. “Are you in here?”
“Princeton Tigers,” he said proudly. “Lucky number twenty-eight,” he said and winked. Now, what were the odds of that?
He pointed to one of the men in a large group of about thirty college guys posed out on the ice for their team portrait. His hair was a little shaggier then, and he had a lot more scruff. But his eyes were unmistakable and made him stand out in the crowd. Holy hell, he was hot as fuck in a hockey uniform. There was a second picture of him on the ice, body checking a player from an opposing team, his hockey stick in the air.
I was about to ask him where he wanted me to sit for our meeting, when I felt him come up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he had in the sauna, and he brushed my hair aside to pepper kisses along my throat. Goose bumps raced down my body, and it took everything inside me not to reach back and grab him. But I vowed to myself not to stroke my boss’s cock within five minutes of our first one-on-one meeting.
“Pierce,” I said, turning to face him. As much as I wanted to fall back into his arms again, we needed to have a serious conversation first.
“Have I ever told you how much I love hearing my name come out of that sexy little mouth of yours?”
“You mean in all of the four days we’ve known each other?” I asked, raising a brow.
He chuckled. “You’re sharp. I like that.”
“This isn’t a game, Pierce. This is my career. One I’ve spent the last seven years building.”
“I see,” he said, nodding. “Okay, then let’s talk.” He waved me over toward the low-back leather sofa.
Thanks to Lindy, I now had the image in my mind of being on all fours, letting Pierce lead me to the sofa by a leash. I shook my head to clear the image, then sat down. He sat in one of the chairs opposite me, and I appreciated him giving me the breathing space.
“I know these are highly unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, Miss Hartley,” he said, visibly trying not to smirk. “But I’m also starting to realize the benefits to our situation as well.”
He reached for a file folder that was sitting on the small natural wood table between the two conversation chairs. “I see you came to Sterling and Masters right out of college. Impressive,” he said as he scanned my file. “Top one percent of your class. Double major.”
“None of that has any value compared to the work I do every day, though. It’s the portfolio and relationships I’ve built over the years that make me the proudest of my accomplishments. And it’s my authors who make what I do so rewarding. College ended seven years ago. Every day since then, I’ve busted my ass to make a name for myself here—and to get ahead. I made it known early on in my career that I was interested in advancing as far as I could.”
“Now you’re upset?” he asked. “Because an outsider came in to fill Carlisa’s role while she’s on maternity leave?”
I hated how he saw right through my hurts and desires.
“Yes,” I admitted. “No one, me included, understood why she would hire an outsider—no offense—when we have several more-than-qualified internal candidates who have been working hard for an opportunity like this.”
There was no point lying to him. Within a day he’d get enough gossip to fill in the blanks if I left them there. I’d rather take control of my future and tell him exactly where I stood—even if it meant leaving Sterling and Masters or offending him.
But he didn’t seem upset. He seemed thoughtful.
His eyes dropped back to my file. “Hmm. You have some pretty impressive clients, Brynn.”
“I do my best to curate the best in the genre at any given time.”
“You have a few names I’m not familiar with,” he pointed out.
“I do,” I said proudly. “They’re the genre’s future. The best clients are the diamonds in the rough,” I said, borrowing a line from Eve Donohue’s story.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, “which will bring some interesting changes over the coming weeks. But I’m not ready to talk about that yet. I need to get a lay of the land first, study the office dynamics. I’ve already gotten a pretty complete picture after today.”
He didn’t have the whole picture, though. Because he was only being shown what people wanted him to see. He didn’t know them like I did. He couldn’t read the underlying intentions behind their perfected words like I could. It was a natural gift of mine and something I prided myself on. It’s also why I knew I’d make an amazing leader, if given the chance. My intuition combined with my years of knowledge from this industry made me the best at what I did. I wasn’t shy to admit that—or to make it known that I wanted Carlisa’s job someday.
“There’s a lot more than meets the eye,” I said cautiously. “But I’m sure you know that, coming from a corporate background as you do.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “So, you’ve done your research today, too, I see.”
“Yeah, though I didn’t have much time,” I said.
I hated the way I’d been taken by surprise earlier. I hated not being in the know. For the most part, I had my finger on the pulse of almost everything that went on in this company. That is, until Pierce came along. Everything started not going my way on Friday—and it was all because of him.
I suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I swallowed any last pride I had left because I had to know. And I would know if he was lying.
Had he hand-selected me from Havana’s for a reason? Was it more than just an instant attraction and chance encounter?
“Did you know who I was? On Friday when you bumped into me at Havana’s? Or on Saturday, when you took me back to your hotel room to fuck my brains out?” I was sickened by the idea. I hated the way my voice shook, but it wasn’t going to stop me from being heard. “Did you look through my file before today, Pierce?”
I gripped the edge of the couch, furious with my own stupidity for not seeing this sooner.
Pierce was out of his seat and next to me before I understood what was happening. My body was nearly shaking I was so distraught at the idea of him using me like that. Or that the weekend hadn’t meant what I thought it had.
I would burn this motherfucker to the ground and walk away right now if that was the case. There was no way I’d work for him if he’d betrayed my trust like that.
“Look at me, Brynn,” he said.
I had to know. So I did.
I raised my darkened eyes and met his square-on. He didn’t look away. He let me read him, staring long and hard into the openings of his soul.
“I had no idea you worked here when I saw you Friday night in Havana’s,” he said. “There are a lot of businesses in this office building, and people from all over Uptown come to that bar. I’d had a shitty meeting with Carlisa and the executive team, and I needed to blow off some steam. I was walking out with some of my legal team, as well as some investors I do business with here, when I looked up and saw the most beautiful angel I’d ever laid eyes on wearing the saddest frown,” he said. “It didn’t belong on you.”
Oh.
“The only part of our meeting that wasn’t authentic was my just so happening to be there when you turned to leave. You hadn’t seen me yet, but I couldn’t leave fate to chance,” he said. “I asked the guys to wait for me, and I sought you out. I could tell the woman in your group was making you uncomfortable, but there was a deeper sadness there too. I just wanted to make you smile. Maybe get your number. But I swear to god, Brynn, I didn’t know you worked for Sterling and Masters then, or even on Saturday night. The fact that the fates threw you right back to me only made me want you even more. You were like this bright beacon in a room full of boring, gray corporate droids.” He chuckled.
