“Typical Oliver,” she said and rolled her eyes. “You tell him to call my office and reschedule, okay? I’m not trying to fix this up again.”
“I’ll do that.” I bowed my head and peeked up as I watched her march angrily through the revolving door.
With a relieved sigh, I turned to the other woman. This one could prove to be more difficult, considering she’d turned up out of nowhere. Who knew what her business was with Oliver?
I beamed widely as I made my way across to her, but I could see her jaw was tense and tight as I got closer.
“Who was that woman?” she asked, nodding toward the doors as I extended my hand to her.
“A business partner of the company,” I replied smoothly. “She had to cancel an important meeting due to personal issues. What can I help you with?”
“I want to see Oliver,” she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and looking down at me. She was at least a full foot taller and and that coupled with her bitter attitude was a little intimidating.
“I’m afraid Mr. Paulson is out of the office today,” I responded with a polite smile, dropping my hand once I realized the chances of her actually taking it were slim. “Can I pass on a message for you?”
“Give him this.”
She fished around in her almost comically enormous purse and pressed a magazine firmly into my hand. I unfolded it, and it fell open to a page with a huge photo of her and Oliver engaged a tight embrace.
I glanced at the page and back up to her, realizing I’d seen her before. Tracy was a socialite, a regular in the back pages of magazines just like this one.
“I know he has contacts,” she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. “I know he can take care of this. I don’t want to see any more pictures of the two of us anywhere, do you understand?”
“I’ll pass on the message,” I promised, nodding and managing a tight smile, more for show than in kindness.
“Thank you,” she sighed dramatically. Then, she turned on her heels and exited the lobby, her heels stabbing into the parquet tiling with every step.
I waited for her to vanish onto the street, and then turned to head back to the elevator. My heartbeat slowed. That was easier than I thought it would be. The receptionist shot me a look, and the two of us shared a knowing smile as I pushed the button to call the elevator.
It was over, thank goodness, and I was confident that I had dealt with it with grace and professionalism. They had both left the building, at least, and I managed to prevent any confrontation between the two of them. I felt like punching the air and cheering as the doors slid shut.
I looked at the magazine in my hand as I was whisked upstairs and shook my head at the photograph. It must have been taken a few months earlier. His hair was definitely longer and looked as it had when I’d been researching him before starting at Artemis.
They were holding hands, and he was holding his hand up to shield the glare of the cameras – in vain evidently.
Why was she so mad about this? What kind of relationship did they have? Did his exes and girlfriends make a habit of showing up at his work? I wasn’t sure I could take another encounter like that one.
When I got back to the office Oliver was pacing back and forth on the carpet, agitated. He turned as soon as I walked in.
“So, how did it go?” he asked, and I grinned at him, shaking my head in amusement at how desperate and nervous he was.
“It went fine,” I assured him. “I sent them each on their way before they could have a turn in with each other, so you’re good.”
“Thank God,” he said, shaking his head.
I could see the color slowly returning to his cheeks. I observed him for a moment and felt something flutter in my chest.
“When did you become such a playboy?” I teased lightly, knowing I was straying toward dangerous territory.
“Hardly.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Do you know what Tracy was here for?”
“Yeah.”
I held out the magazine.
“She wanted you to call the magazine and make sure they don’t publish any more pictures of the two of you together.”
He opened the magazine, looked at the photo, brow furrowed, and then rolled his eyes.
“How old are these photos, anyway?” he muttered, mostly to himself, and tossed it down on the table.
“I’ll get it sorted.”
“Good.”
I nodded and felt a little punch of excitement in my stomach as I realized the victory I’d pulled off.
“Is this something I’ll have to deal with often?” I asked as I made my way toward my own office. “Chasing off your girlfriends?”
“They’re not my girlfriends,” he replied firmly. The look he gave me unleashed butterflies in my stomach. He wanted to be very clear in that regard, it seemed.
“Whatever they are, shall I just set up barricades around the office?” I teased as I leaned in the doorway.
He grinned.
“It might be our safest bet,” he agreed, and suddenly, the sound of an incoming video call sprang to life on his laptop, drawing his attention away. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this…”
“Of course, go ahead.”
I ducked into my office and pulled the door shut behind me, an odd mix of emotions lingering in my chest.
I was feeling a lot of things. The first was triumph – I’d pulled off a delicate operation, and hopefully, Oliver would remember that when it came to keeping me on or giving me some kind of promotion.
But at the same time… those women. They’d been about as different from me as it was possible to be. Each of them was well-known in her admittedly very different field. They were impeccably groomed and incredibly gorgeous.
Their images were seared into my brain. These were the kind of women I’d seen in magazines, who people followed in social media. I was just a college graduate in her first real job. I was hardly a success. I had only a fraction of the looks, the charm, or the money to compete with either one of them. If that was his type, then I didn’t stand a chance.
I looked down at my nails, chipped and short, and clenched my fists to hide them. I was nothing more than a bit of fun to him, a harmless, office flirtation to pass the time until he could get out on the town with his fancy women again. How could I have thought for a second someone like him would go for someone as ordinary as me?
I forced myself to get back to work and tried like hell to ignore the sound of his voice drifting through from the other room. He sounded excited, almost childlike, as he chatted away, and I wondered who he was charming, and to what end.
I typed up a couple of emails, going as slowly as I could to avoid going and waited for the day to be over. I was disheartened by the encounter with his exes.
If indeed they were exes and not current girlfriends. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were actually current lovers and he was just determined to keep them a secret.
All I wanted was to go home, crack open a bottle of wine, and forget this whole day had ever happened.
Chapter 8
Oliver
It was late in the day, around four, and it seemed like everything I’d been working on had suddenly come to an abrupt stop.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I was pretty confident that my meeting with Masterson had gone well, even though I was a little flustered by the unexpected visits from Kyra and Tracy.
What were the chances that both of them would show up here at the same time? At least they hadn’t bumped into each other. I knew Kyra would tear me a new one if she thought I had hooked up with someone else at the same time as her, and Tracy was probably coked out of her mind anyway.
I was surprised Mona was able to get rid of them both so easily, and part of me wished I could have been there to witness it.
I looked at the photo that had dragged Tracy all the way across town. It had been taken at least four months before, in the brief period when she and I were actually s
pending time together. I was really only hanging out with her because of her connections, and sure, we had a little fun, but I was sure it was all behind me.
This photo wouldn’t exactly help my cause, and I didn’t want anyone I would be working with in the near future to come across it. I would call later. It wasn’t like they could un-print the magazine, anyway.
I tried to determine which night it had been taken. I sighed and turned the magazine over, not wanting to be reminded of my evenings with Tracy. She hadn’t been a good partner for me.
As for Kyra, the chemistry just wasn’t there. She was smart, beautiful, successful and charming, but we both came to the conclusion fairly early on that things weren’t going to progress between us. We had been on a handful of dates, and I had been avoiding actually putting an end to things. I was so bad at ending relationships. Such a coward.
I glanced over at the office door, the one that separated Mona from me. Was she the reason I felt the need to sever these two relationships for good? Because that would be crazy. Nothing could happen between us, and if it did, I knew the entire office, especially Neil, would come down on me.
It would be a pattern, the kind of behavior that could ruin my reputation in this business and I had worked too hard for too long to get to this point.
Still, a man could dream. I tipped my head back in my seat and looked at the ceiling. Images of Mona danced in my memory. Her smile, her laugh, her beautiful eyes, her quiet confidence. And of course those delicious round tits that hid just beneath her tasteful silk blouses. I wanted to rip those blouses right off her chest, tearing all the buttons loose, and then planting my lips on her pert little nipples. I’d suck so hard she’d cry out!
If I called her into the office right then, what would she do? She’d stand there obediently in the door, waiting for me to direct her one way or another. I’d look up at her, meet her gaze steadily, and she’d know at once what I was getting at and what I wanted from her.
She’d make her way over to me slowly, and I’d get to my feet and close the distance between us, snaking my arms around her waist and pulling her close against my body. She’d look up at me, her eyes suddenly widening as she realized that it was finally happening. Then, our lips would touch and nothing in the world would matter but the feeling of her body against mine, her skin next to my own.
I wouldn’t want to wait, sliding my hands down and lifting her off the ground before placing her carefully onto my desk. She’d wrap her legs around my waist, as if by instinct, and moan softly as I leaned in to kiss her once more. She’d just remember there were people in the offices around us, people who we didn’t want to know about our little encounter…
I’d grind against her, already growing hard, and slide my hands up her body to cup her tits. She’d pull open her shirt, grabbing my hand and placing it against her bare breast, and I’d pinch the nipple between my fingers, making her squeal with pleasure. I’d run my lips up her neck, biting lightly on her ear to hear that noise again, to coax it out of her.
“Fuck me,” she’d gasp, and as much as I’d want to take my time and ease into this as slowly as I could, I wouldn’t be able to turn her down now that she’d brought it up.
She’d be in that skirt of hers, the one that was just an inch or two too tight, and I’d push it up easily over her hips and yank down her panties in one swift motion. She’d already be soaking, her pussy glistening and tempting. In a flash, I’d be on my knees, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her juices. I’d put my lips on her glistening pussy and start making out with it as if I was kissing her mouth. I’d slide my tongue in and out of her pussy mouth, kissing her and stretching my tongue inside her as deep as it could go.
I’d move my lips up to her clit and suck on the tender folds of her skin, licking and making out with her clit until I heard her moaning in pleasure.
She’d tighten her thighs around my head and reach down and pull my face harder and tighter against her pussy.
I’d drink up every drop of her juices
Before letting her cum, I’d stop sucking and stand up to face her. I’d kiss her mouth, making sure she tasted herself on my lips.
The thought made my cock throb and almost explode inside my pants!
Then, I’d unbuckle my pants, taking my cock in my hand, and she’d moan softly as she parted her legs, throwing one leg up on my shoulder and shifting her hips up so I could push myself into her. I’d place myself against her slit and look her deep in the eyes as I thrust inside her in one swift motion, losing myself to the feeling of her warm, tight cunt around my cock.
“Oh my God,” she cry.
I’d thrust into her deeply, pushing myself as far into her pussy as I possibly could. The pleasure would almost overwhelm me.
As I push in, deeper and deeper, I feel the pleasure build up to the point of no return. My cock would grow and swell, stretching to fill her, and just then, right as I’m so deep inside her that nothing will ever be able to pull me out …
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, the door opened, and I was yanked straight from my horny fantasy back into real life. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Mona looking back at me, a curious expression on her face.
“Hey,” she greeted me, and she must have been able to tell there was something off about me. “Everything okay?”
I looked at her and then shut my eyes. I was cumming! I couldn’t stop it. The orgasm had started just as the fantasy reached it’s climax and now my cock was throbbing in my pants, spilling cum all over my boxer shorts.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said feebly, trying to force the image of fucking her on my desk out of my head.
I was rock hard beneath my slacks, and my cum would be causing a stain very shortly. I shifted forward in my seat to hide the mess of my erection and cum from her.
“I was just going to head home,” she explained, gesturing to the door.
I have to admit she looked a little flushed herself, a few strands of hair falling loosely from the tight bun that sat atop her head. Had she been thinking of me next door? The thought didn’t do much to get rid of my erection, and I did my best to force it out of my head.
“Sure, sure,” I nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
She was so goddamned gorgeous. I could so vividly imagine those long legs wrapped around me, the way her thighs would cling to mine as I fucked her with every ounce of my desire.
I could feel my heart beating a little faster and my mouth growing dry as she lingered next to my desk, as though she didn’t want to go quite yet.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do today?” she asked, cocking her head in the most absurdly appealing way. I shook my head.
“Really, you should go home,” I replied firmly, glancing down beneath the desk to see if my erection was visible through my pants. It totally was. Shit.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
She gave me one last, suspicious look, and then went for the door.
I let out a long breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding as soon as the door closed behind her, and finally my cock began to deflate below the desk. I needed to get home, get some sleep, and get that woman out of my head, once and for all.
It was proving to be very difficult. I just couldn’t shake my attraction to her, and every day, it seemed to grow more intense.
I did my best to cast my mind back to how things had started with Jeannie. I could only remember vaguely the details of that night, because it had been at the office Christmas party, and I had a few drinks in me.
I thought she was cute, and I knew I would never have turned her down if she came on to me, but I didn’t recall feeling anything remotely close to the intense desire I felt for Mona. It didn’t feel heavy on my chest then, I didn’t feel pressing. It felt like if I didn’t take care of it I might come apart at the seams.
This was something I felt for Mona alone, and I couldn't get out from under the weight of it.
I turned back to my c
omputer. Even thinking about Jeannie made me feel as though I were violating some kind of contract I had with myself, one that I’d put in place to ensure nothing like that would ever happen again.
I slammed my laptop shut, and the cracking sound as plastic met plastic sent a satisfying burr through the room. I knew I was acting like an asshole, like an angry teenager, but I couldn’t help myself.
I wanted to scream, to hear it echo around me. This was as frustrated as I had ever been because I couldn’t have her. And I wasn’t used to giving up on something I wanted.
I stayed at the office late that evening, and I walked home with the streetlights glowing dimly above me. It was quiet in the business district at ten. Everyone had either already gone home or settled in to their offices with no intention of leaving before morning.
It was a cool night, a pleasant change from the overheated atmosphere of the office, and I found myself wondering what Mona was doing. Was she out somewhere enjoying the cool evening air like I was? Or was she curled up inside, maybe in front of the TV or her laptop, a glass of wine in hand?
It felt odd to spend so much time with someone and know so little about them. Maybe she was thinking about me. She was a young woman, the kind who probably had dozens of guys chasing after her. Why would she be interested in her decades-older boss.
I decided to go the long way home. I needed time to think, clear my head, and a walk could usually do the trick. I passed a small group of teenagers who couldn't have been older than fifteen, and they glanced up as I went by, shooting looks at each other in a panic. They didn’t have to worry about me selling them out, though. I didn’t have the energy for it tonight.
A dim, orange glow blanketed the city. Each building that lined the street cast its own unique light. Something about it was soothing to me, and I found myself matching the pace of my breath to the speed of my footsteps.
Each step spelled out her name. Mo-na, Mo-na, Mo-na. Jesus Christ, I had it bad for this girl. I couldn’t shake her.
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