She was still shy about seeing him at her boxing gym or the commute to and from work. Thankfully he spent most of the commute on calls or working on his tablet. She tended to use the time to prep for her day while casually stealing glances of his perfect profile and full, kissable lips.
How could someone be so intelligent, funny, down to earth and insanely hot all at the same time? His demeanor and personality were disarming but his looks and success were a constant reminder that he was out of her league.
Oddly she had yet to see him bring a woman home or even attend a work function with someone on his arm…Oh my god maybe he’s gay! She let out a small audible gasp.
"Everything ok?" Bennet looked up from his tablet to see her staring at him intently. She hadn’t realized that she not only gasped aloud but was staring at him with her mouth hanging open.
"Uh yeah, yeah sorry I just realized that I might have left my curling iron on!" She stammered.
"No worries, I’ll let Marta know and she’ll just switch it off." He said as he pulled out his phone and typed a quick text to Marta before diving back into whatever he was reading on his tablet.
Maddie was a little on edge today, she was presenting in a meeting with Bennet and the CEO of Larson Designs. She had been working tirelessly on the sunglasses campaign for the Larson file and while she felt confident in her decisions, she had never presented to a CEO of a multimillion dollar design company before. Bennet didn’t seem to share Maddie’s apprehension and simply told her she’d do absolutely fine and not to worry about anything. Once at her desk she set her bag down and headed to the restroom to give herself a pep talk.
She stood in front of the mirror and took some long, deep breaths—willing herself to remain calm and not sweat through her red silk blouse. She adjusted her black pencil skirt and smoothed down her blonde curls…”You’ve got this. You have prepared for this and you will kick ass today!" She thrust her pointer finger at her reflection before spinning on her heels and walking confidently back to her desk.
The presentation wasn’t until 10:00 AM so Maddie had time to enjoy a cup of coffee and finish up a few items for another project she needed to send over to her boss. She sent a text to Jazmine demanding she wish her good luck and that she would need a stiff drink after boxing class tonight.
The girls agreed that since it was Friday, a few drinks after a hard work week and even harder workout were well deserved. She was smiling at her phone when her 15 minute meeting alert sounded on her computer. She gathered her thoughts, took a deep breath and headed to the conference room.
The meeting had just wrapped up and Madeline was on a euphoric high of endorphins. The CEO and a few of his partners had not only loved her pitch but had told Bennet they wanted her to work on all of their future campaigns with Windsor Marketing. Not only did she lead her first presentation, she managed to secure a massive contract for her employer with a whale of a client. Bennet and the majority of the team had left the conference room and where talking shop in the hall as Maddie gathered up her paperwork and straightened up the conference room.
She had her back to the door as she bent over the table to grab some remaining papers, "How is it that I’ve been in this office three times now and I’ve never met you?" She turned around slowly to see Jared Larson, the CEO’s son and current VP of the company leaning against the door frame.
"Well I’m new and I imagine you’ve probably only been on the top floor. I work two floors down in the design department." She smiled sweetly as she straightened the rest of the chairs around the large table.
"Well it’s certainly a shame but I’m glad I finally got the pleasure. Your proposal really was outstanding today, hard to believe you’re so young. You speak like you have a decade of experience under your belt." Jared sat on the edge of the table as Maddie stood beside a chair nervously shuffling her papers.
"Thank you, I’m so happy that you and your team agree with my vision for this campaign. I’m so excited to have this opportunity and I couldn’t have done it without the encouragement and guidance from Ben—Mr. Windsor." She corrected herself quickly, realizing it might seem unprofessional for a newbie to refer to her boss by his first name.
Jared finished up his small talk with Madeline but before he left the conference room he pulled out his card and slipped it in her hand. “I'd love to grab a drink and hear more about your ideas for my company." He gave her a quick wink as his fingers lingered on hers for more than a professional amount of time. He walked out into the hall to rejoin the group as they headed out for lunch.
Maddie had already declined the offer to join the group as she had a ton of work to catch up on and was hoping to bug out early for the day. She finally lifted her gaze from the card in her hand to see Bennet staring at her intently with a look she had never seen before.
He looked almost angry—she continued on with her task of gathering up the papers when Bennet stepped inside the room, “Madeline you don’t need to clean up in here, that’s what the interns are for.” She avoided eye contact and grabbed her things to head out, dropping Jared’s card in the process.
Bennet slowly leaned down and picked it up. “Wouldn’t want you to forget this, might help keep you out of the office on those lonely Friday nights.” He said with a smug look.
Maddie was shocked at the rude comment and took the card from Bennet’s hand. “Enjoy your lunch Mr. Windsor.” She said as she walked out of the conference room and back to the elevators.
She spent the next several hours at her desk with her head down, powering through her “to-do's" and sending off different projects to her boss for approval. She hadn’t received any feedback from Bennet yet on her presentation, she wasn’t sure if he was still out rubbing elbows with the Larson group or if he was brooding in his office and frankly she didn’t care.
It was almost 4 o’clock and she had already gotten approval from her boss to take off early. She quickly shut down her computer, said a quick goodnight to Vince and then made a beeline for the elevators. She was catching an early boxing class with Jazmine and then they were hitting the town for some much needed drinks!
Chapter 11
The girls powered through their workout, giving it everything they had. They had both had a stressful week so poor Damon got to feel the brunt of their frustrations as they kicked and punched their way to mental clarity. They showered at the gym and brought a quick change of clothes to hit the town.
"Does this make me look like a badass?" Maddie tugged on her thigh high boots as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Holy shit Maddie you look hot!" Jazmine walked over to the floor length mirror as she put on her earrings. Maddie had slicked her long hair into a high ponytail which accentuated her delicate neck, contrasting nicely with the edginess of her tight black mini dress and her thigh high boots.
“I'm not used to seeing you look so bold, I’m impressed!" Jazmine slicked on her lipstick and fluffed her thick black hair.
"Well I’m feeling pretty good after my presentation and meeting today. I not only won more business for Windsor Marketing but also got asked out on a date." She said casually as she packed up her items and slipped on her coat.
"Wait. What?!" "Please elaborate, you can’t just throw that out there and not explain"
Maddie chuckled as she headed to the door, "Come on I’ll tell you when we get to the bar."
"Goodnight Damon! Thanks for letting us keep our stuff here tonight." The girls waved goodbye and headed out to grab their cab.
Madeline was explaining the entire station to Jazmine when her phone pinged with a text from Bennet, "Hey would have appreciated a heads up that you didn’t need a ride tonight. Be safe and have fun." Maddie rolled her eyes a slipped her phone back into her purse.
"What was that about?"
"Bennet, letting me know I should have told him I didn’t need a ride tonight." Maddie responded as she took a generous gulp of her martini. "He didn’t tell me thank you for landing a massive cont
ract for HIS company or that he was impressed with my work today and when he saw Jared Larson giving me his card he gave me a look of disgust or anger or whatever, like I was being flirty or inappropriate." She was speaking animatedly with her hands and she could feel the liquor starting to go to her head.
“And then he went on to make some rude ass comment about how Jared could help keep me company on my lonely Friday nights or something like that.”
"Well, did you ask him why or are you just assuming this stuff? Maybe that dude has a history or reputation of picking up young women or maybe he’s worried they’re trying to poach you." Maddie let the words sink in…she realized she hadn’t thought about the possibilities and instead had jumped to conclusions but his comment was still out of line.
"Shit, no I didn’t think about any of that." She pulled out her phone again and sent Bennet a quick text, “I'm sorry about that, I should have told you. Thanks again for the opportunity today." And because she was powering through her second martini of liquid courage she added a quick note to try to break the tension. “I'll be safe, but don’t wait up for me!"
It was nearing 2 AM when Maddie’s cab pulled up outside of Bennet’s building. She hadn’t intended to stay out so late, it wasn’t her style but then again she had a great time and she felt like she deserved it after today. She removed her boots in the elevator and walked quietly through the hall to her room. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she was changing and getting ready for bed.
After washing her face and slipped on an oversized sleep shirt—she was just going to sneak out to the kitchen for a quick snack so she wasn’t worried about her bare legs showing. The house was dark except for the glow of the city from the windows, Maddie tiptoed into the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar from the pantry. She quickly snarfed it down and opened the cabinet for a water glass. Extending her arm as far she could she stood on her tiptoes but the glasses were just out of reach.
She positioned her arms on the counter to hoist herself up when she felt strong hands on her waist, "allow me before you hurt yourself." Maddie yelped and turned around frantically.
"Jesus you scared the hell out of me!" She clutched her chest as Bennet leaned over her to grab a glass.
Bennet handed her the glass and suddenly she was very aware of how little she was wearing. She tugged at the hem of her shirt and crossed her legs nervously. "Have a good night?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. She nodded enthusiastically as she took a large gulp of water.
Maddie stood awkwardly not knowing what to say or do, she felt like a kid in trouble with her parents. "I should probably get to bed," she said as she placed the glass in the sink. Bennet stared at her intently not saying anything in return.
She turned to walk back to her bedroom when she felt his hands on her again, this time he had grabbed her arm turning her around to face him as his other hand slipped behind her neck possessively pulling her mouth to his. He wasted no time covering her lips with his. His hand moved from her arm to her lower back as his other hand continued to grip the back of her neck. His tongue slipped past her lips and caressed her own passionately.
He backed her against the kitchen island, his hand moving from her back to under her shirt, settling on her waist. She could feel his erection pressing into her belly. Her brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening, before she recognized her own actions, her hands were on his naked chest as she leaned into his body and kiss.
Suddenly he was pulling himself away from her, breaking the kiss. "Fuck!" He muttered as he ran his hands frantically through his hair. Maddie stood breathless, clutching the edge of the island and searching Bennet’s face for answers or any inclination as to what the hell just happened.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have done that." His eyes danced around the floor before he dragged them up her body to meet hers. She was breathing heavy, her full lips were parted and her eyes were hooded with desire. She nodded at him slowly as her eyes slipped from his down to his chest and chiseled abs.
“Don't look at me like that Madeline," he said tersely. He moved closer to her and slipped his hand back around her neck firmly, "when you look at me like that it makes me want to do unspeakable things to you." He whispered in her ear. “Now go to bed.” He said firmly.
She could feel her knees go weak and wetness pooling in her panties. Her breath quickened again as she reached out to touch him, but before she could, he turned and walked out of the kitchen towards his bedroom.
Maddie stood in the kitchen for a solid five minutes trying to regain stability and make any sense of what just happened. She touched her fingertips to her lips softly trying to determine if that really just happened—did Bennet Windsor really just kiss me? With tongue?!
She let out a small giggle of disbelief and then scurried back to her bedroom. She flopped on her bed and closed her eyes, letting her hands run down her body—slipping her curious fingers into her panties. She could feel her pulse quickening as she explored her wetness and stroked her womanhood. She replayed the kiss in her head, how his tongue explored her own, thrusting in and out of her mouth.
She slipped a finger inside of herself as her muscles began to tense. She gripped the sheet of her bed as an orgasm role through her body. Slowly, her breathing began to stabilize as she opened her eyes…she moaned as she rolled over in shame realizing she had just cum to thoughts of Bennet.
Chapter 12
Maddie sheepishly opened her bedroom door as she headed to the kitchen for coffee. Shockingly she didn’t have a headache from last night’s shenanigans with Jazmine. She quickly poured herself a fresh cup hoping to scurry back to her room to avoid Bennet…yeah that seemed like a great idea, avoid and ignore the guy you work for and live with for the rest of her natural existence.
She reached for the fridge handle and noticed a handwritten note on the door, busy day—I’ll be out late. Text me if you need anything. Maddie let out a sigh of relief but also realized she wasn’t the only one playing the avoiding game.
She decided that a run on the lakefront was in order now that the winter chill was finally melting away and spring had come to Chicago. She finished up her coffee, threw on a pair of leggings and a hoodie and laced up her shoes.
Running along Lake Michigan had been her savior in college. Between the stress of college and the constant hum of the city, it was a way to escape through music and shut the world out for miles and miles. She had always been an athlete in high school and college but had taken up running for her mental health. She loved that it was completely up to her to beat her previous record or run further than she had last time. She had even ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon a few times and loved it.
It was still early enough that she could see her breath as she stepped out the front door of Bennet’s building. She flipped through her usual playlists but nothing was standing out this morning, after several minutes of scrolling she settled on a mix of female power ballads to pump her up and help her power through her run.
By the time she returned she was doubled over panting trying to catch her breath. She had gotten swept up in the music and pounded out almost seven miles. She nodded to the doorman as she headed to the elevator, hoping she didn’t look as red and sweaty as she felt. The elevator she used was private, went straight to the penthouse so as the doors started closing she peeled off her sweaty hoodie leaving her in only her white and now somewhat see-through sports bra.
She had just pulled the sweaty and tangled hoodie over her head when an arm shot through the almost closed elevator door…an arm that was attached to Bennet.
Maddie’s eyes doubled in size as she struggled to extract her now entangled arms from the sweaty hoodie. She was sure her red face was practically glowing now and her hair was standing on end. Bennet was shocked at first to see her but couldn’t help losing himself in laughter at the sight of her.
"Here let me help you," he barely got out over snorts and laughs. She huffed in frustration as she pull
ed her arms free.
“I'm fine I got it!" She said as she pulled away. Bennet let his helping hands fall to his sides and stepped back to try to finish his laughter silently.
"I thought you were going to be out late?" Maddie tried to say casually.
"I cancelled my plans." Sensing he wasn’t in the mood to chat she dropped her gaze to her feet only to realize her very erect nipples were now prominently on display through her sweaty sports bra! She gasped as she hugged her hoodie to her chest and buried her face in embarrassment. If Bennet didn’t regret kissing me immediately, I’m sure he does now! She thought to herself.
Maddie retreated to her room and decided a nice long bath and at home spa day would help her ego recover from this morning and allow her brain to not focus on last night. She let the bath fill with warm, lavender suds as she closed her eyes and relaxed.
She wasn’t sure if she would tell Jazmine about last night but she was positive she was not going to engage Bennet about it. She would simply brush it off like nothing happened and focus on getting back to her regular work schedule where she wasn’t fully engaged with him day to day.
Chapter 13
After the initial awkwardness of the weekend wore off, Monday morning came around like normal and everything seemed to fall back into place. Maddie and Bennet went on with their normal daily routines. She could sense he was keeping a bit more distance than normal but she wasn’t going to complain, her inability to keep herself from blushing around him was becoming a full blown problem.
By the time two weeks had passed she felt everything was finally back to normal and she had almost forgotten about a stupid little kiss.
Resisting Her Page 5
