by Rue Volley
Two
I had been sitting a the computer for hours going through numbers and checking up with contracts, emails and everything else when Thomas stopped at my desk.
“Shouldn’t you be on your way home by now, Tasha?”
“Hmmm?” Not bothering to look up from the computer, I was a bit occupied by a complaint from one of the clubs. Something was very wrong and I couldn’t figure out what had gone awry.
“Tasha.”
Thomas’ stern voice made me look up at him. Confusion made me furrow my brow.
“What? I was just looking through the Canali Club’s emails. They have some trouble down there and I can’t for the life of me figure out what happened—“
Thomas interrupted me before I finished my sentence. “I don’t care. It can wait until tomorrow.”
Thomas shut down my computer by pushing the off button.
“Period. You need to get out and live a little. Get laid, have fun, not just work.”
Sighing, I knew he was right. Nodding, I rolled away from the desk and stood up from my chair. Stretching, I could hear my bones creak.
Damn, when did I get that old?
“Tasha.”
Glancing over at my shoulder at Thomas, I reached for my jacket.
“Jared asked for you specifically to handle everything with the band.”
I closed my eyes. Damn it all to hell. I didn’t want to deal with him. He was a player and someone who was used to getting his way. The only reason he requested me was because I was a woman. He thought I would be easier to handle.
“Why?”
Thomas shrugged.
“Don’t know, don’t care. Want to do it or not?”
“Keep me out of it. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is.” Getting my jacket, I walked past Thomas on my way to the elevator. “You want to deal with Canali, or should I? We need to get down there no matter what.”
“We’ll both go. I can’t stand Shea and the way she runs things down there. Maybe it’s time we find a new manager. Book a flight as soon as you can and see if you can find a possible replacement.”
Thomas nodded at me just as the elevator doors closed. For a brief moment there were just me and silence. Leaning my head back against the wall I enjoyed the quietness. When it pinged I opened my eyes and moved toward the doors.
My phone rang as I stepped out of the elevator, and without thought I answered it, not noticing where I walked and smacked straight into someone.
My phone went to the floor and I cringed at the sound.
“Sorry.”
“You know as much as I love to see you, we kinda have to stop running into each other like this. You’re bound to get a concussion or something.”
Surprise made me look up. Sammy. My heartbeat quickened a little.
“I’ve got a hard head.” Giving him a lopsided smile, I bent to pick up my phone, but Sammy was faster and did it for me. Smiling he reached out his hand, my phone laying in his palm. For a second all I could do was stare. When I took my phone my fingers brushed his and a tingle went through me, making my breath catch.
“I’m sure you have.”
Sammy’s eyes sparkled with humor.
“How about that coffee? Or maybe dinner?”
“You’re really persistent, aren’t you?” Not that I minded him being so. He was breaking down my walls and it happened way faster than I thought was possible. Stepping closer to me, Sammy lifted his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Letting his fingers linger at the shell of my ear, he gazed down at me. Once again, I felt myself falling down into his ice-blue eyes.
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?” Sammy studied me while he said it.
A snort of laughter came from me. “No.”
“The color reminds me of a forest in the spring. The bright green color just as the leaves comes.”
I could feel him move closer to me. I didn’t mind. I was too lost into his eyes. Sammy’s gaze slipped to my lips and stayed there. Just as he leaned a bit forward a shout came from the glass doors.
“Sammy!”
The voice jerked me back to reality and I blinked a few times. Taking a step back to put more distance between us, I could see Sammy’s lips move. I’m quite sure he cursed under his breath. In a way I felt the same.
“Sammy, my man! Come on, we’re going out to celebrate!” Jared was grinning from ear to ear, his joy contagious. I gave him a small smile and moved toward the reception. I didn’t want to get involved with their party. Their voices traveled through the lobby as I walked over to Emilio, the building security guard.
“Hey Emilio, can I borrow the computer real quick? I need to do a search for a flight.”
“Sure thing, Miss Leonard.”
Emilio moved away from the computer with a smile.
“You’re working awfully late today, Miss.”
Smiling at the young man, I sat down at the desk. “Yeah, we had some issues with a contract and now have a club that needs some attention.” My fingers moved fast over the keys, the clicking a soft sound.
“Sorry to hear that, Miss. It seems like you’ll never get a break with everything going on.”
“All part of the job, Emilio. I’m happy to do it.”
“And here I thought I told you to get home.”
Thomas’ voice jerked me away from the computer, a bit of guilt flashing through my mind.
“Um… I was just…” I wasn’t even sure what to say.
“She was waiting for me to be done talking with Jay so I could take her to the dinner I promised her.”
My eyes widened when Sammy appeared behind Thomas. I thought he had gone with Jared to celebrate the contract.
“Well, well. I wasn’t aware that you had a dinner date. Maybe I shouldn’t have needled you in the office then.”
Winking at me, Thomas turned around and slapped Sammy on his back.
“I’ll be right there Sammy. Just need to verify the airplane tickets.” Looking up, I noticed Thomas had guided Sammy a bit further down the lobby, his arm still on Sammy’s back. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but the suddenly seemed awfully buddy like. My brows furrowed a little as Thomas glanced back toward me and then leaned closer to Sammy.
Uh-oh. I do not like the look of that. What the hell is he up to?
The computer pinged, notifying me that the reservation and payment had gone through. We were on our way to Canali Club Thursday. That gave us three days to put everything in order.
“Ready?”
Again, I jumped a little in my seat. Only then it was Sammy’s voice doing the job. For a second I was confused.
“Ready?”
A chuckle came from Thomas as he stepped behind me, looking over my shoulder. His chuckle turned to a frown when he saw the dates on the tickets.
“Thursday? That’s freaking three days from now? You couldn’t get us something faster?”
Leaning back, I crossed my arms, sending him a glare. “I could, if someone was willing to invest in a private jet instead of having to take ordinary planes.” Raising one eyebrow, I waited for him to start. For a few seconds Thomas sputtered in outrage. Patiently I waited for him to be done.
“So,” Sammy interrupted and diffused Thomas’ rant. “How about that dinner? I think I owe you that after the coffee disaster earlier today.”
Smiling at me, Sammy held out the nook of his arm, waiting for me take it like a real lady.
“My treat, Miss Leonard.”
Three
Dinner was amazing. I still didn’t feel comfortable about Sammy paying but he had insisted.
Standing outside, I wrapped my jacket closer around me. Autumn was on its way and there was a slight chill in the air.
“Well, hello there, gorgeous. Are you here all by yourself? Why don’t you come with us and we’ll show you a good time.” A group of young men moved toward me. Their catcalls and attitudes made me uneasy. It was a big town, assaults happened every
day.
“Actually she’s with me. Have a nice night kiddos.”
Sammy wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. His fingers tightened around me, a silent warning to go along with whatever he did. I had no problem with that. Having him right next to me gave me a sense of security. Leaning closer, I inhaled deeply, drawing his scent into my lungs.
“Who you call kid, grandpa? Ain’t she old enough to decide for herself? Stick to a birdie on your own age old man. Leave the young meat to us who can work her all night.” One of the young men had stepped forward, taunting Sammy. His friends hooted with laughter in the background.
“Stay.”
Sammy released his hold on me and moved forward. Pulling out my phone I punched in 911. Something told me this was going to end badly.
“First of all, you might want to learn how to speak properly if you ever want to have a shot at getting a classy woman like her. Second of all, I’m calling you a kid because you’re behaving like one. Like a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to put action behind his words.”
Everything exploded after that. The man who had catcalled me and harassed Sammy bellowed and ran for Sammy. My heart went to my throat and I cried out when I caught the flash of steel in the young man’s hand. Sammy stood still. When the kid went for him, he blocked him and gave him a good punch in the throat. The knife clattered to the ground when the kid dropped to his knees gasping for air. As Sammy stepped back from him, flashes of blue and red lightened up the night. Backup had arrived.
“Hands in the air. Now!”
Sammy raised them, no questions asked. The kid’s friends in the background scattered. Some friends.
“Miss, are you alright?”
A police officer came over to me. My fingers were still enclosed tightly around my phone.
“Yeah. Sammy only protected us, he didn’t start the assault.”
“It’s okay Miss. We’ll take them all into the station and get their statements, just to be sure.
“But—”
“All protocol. You can come along if you wish to of course.”
I found myself sitting in the back of a police car to the downtown station, instead of a cab on my way home. I just didn’t want to leave Sammy to himself He had defended me after all.
Two hours later – and countless of bad coffee – Sammy walked out into the reception. Relief settled into my heart. I was happy to see him. When he noticed me still waiting, he walked over to me, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer for a hug.
“I wasn’t sure you would wait.”
His words were muffled, spoken into my hair. Burrowing closer to him, I let out a small sigh.
“Of course. I couldn’t let my hero stay here alone.”
He chuckled and tightened his hold. “How about some dessert?” His words were whispered into my ear, his breath tickled the shell. A shiver went through my body, and I could feel my core tighten in anticipation. “I could show you exactly how long an old man can last.”
Laughter followed his statement. His fingers found the hem of my shirt and met bare skin. His heat seeped into me, burning a path – branding me. Turning my face toward Sammy, our gazes locked. His eyes darkened and without a word, he took my hand and we walked out into the chilly night.
Four
The cab drive back to my apartment had been tense in the best way possible. Sammy held onto my hand – maybe he was afraid I would bail out? He kept drawing circles on my skin, I could feel his fingers on me and it drove me slowly mad. My hunger for him burst into flames and all I could think about was how good it would feel to finally have his hands all over me.
Luisa had said he was a one nighter. Glancing over at Sammy, noticing the stubble on his strong jaw, his blue eyes scanning the surroundings as we sped by in the night, his thumb never stopping its repetitive motion on my hand- would I be able to let him go once tonight was over?
Shaking my head, I let my dark thoughts go and allowed myself to live in the moment. If tonight was all I got, then so be it. I would enjoy every touch, I would treasure his body and I would keep the memories for a long time. We never knew how long we had on this earth, why not relish it now?
The cab stopped and we stepped out into the darkness. A light drizzle started, but it didn’t deter me. Grabbing Sammy’s shirt, I pulled him closer to me and kissed him with a passion that couldn’t be denied.
Grabbing my ass, he molded our bodies even closer, our tongues intertwined in a joyous dance. Nipping at my bottom lip, Sammy continued kissing a path down my neck, giving small bites once in a while, driving me closer to the abyss. A shudder went through me and I held onto Sammy like my life depended on it. I was panting hard. Feeling something hard at my back made me open my eyes. Sammy had walked me backward down into the alley next to my apartment complex. He never stopped kissing my neck and I gave into the delicious feeling. Moaning, I stretched giving him better access.
His hands moved down further, lifting me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. My skirt rode up, baring me. He murmured something against my skin, but I couldn’t hear. All I could was feel. Sensing him moving against me, his hand stroking exposed skin.
His fingers found my panties and when they dipped under them I gasped. Feeling his fingers inside of me made me clench around them and he groaned, “I can’t wait.”
His words were a mere whisper, and almost disappeared by the loud sound of a zipper going down in the alley. A second later, my underwear was ripped away and he sheathed himself to the root in one trust. It felt amazing. I could feel his pulse resonating through me. Wrapping my legs harder around him, my hands moved over his broad back, feeling his muscles tense underneath my touch. A groan came from Sammy and he pulled back. A noise of protest came from me just as he claimed my lips in another scorching kiss. Again, he trusted into me and I gasped in pleasure.
Time slowed down until it stopped as we fucked in the alley. Clawing at his back, Sammy listened to my silent plea and increased the speed, pumping in and out of me, bringing me closer and closer to the edge of oblivion. Through it all he kissed me, our tongues dueling, breaths intermingling. Pushing me harder against the wall, Sammy bit down on my shoulder forcing me to meet my orgasm with a cry. Thrusting a few more times, he came in shudder, moaning my name.
Leaning my head against his shoulder I tried calming my heartbeat. Gently, Sammy unwrapped my legs from his waist and set me down onto the ground, still holding me upright. I didn’t trust my legs right then. Leaning into me he kissed me deeply, his fingers danced over my still aroused body eliciting a moan from me.
After adjusting himself, he bent down and scooped me up into his arms. A giggle escaped me and I nestled into him.
“Which apartment sweetheart?”
I was half-asleep as he asked me. Blinking I brought myself back from the darkness.
“Put me down, there’s an elevator over here we can use.”
Walking over to the doors I pointed at, Sammy kept me in his arms.
“I kinda like having you here,” I said lazily.
Squeezing me a little tighter he dropped a kiss on my forehead. Damn he was good. Just like that he tore down another wall around my heart. Still in his arms I punched in the security code and when the doors pinged, he stepped into the little metal box, still carrying me. My heart skipped a beat when he gently put me down on my feet and pulled me in for another kiss. It was a gentle kiss this time. Sweet, tender. Gripping his sides I held on.
“Damn Tasha, you’re going to be my undoing.”
For a few seconds we stood there, our foreheads touching. When the doors pinged again, Sammy tucked me into his side and together we walked over to my apartment. As soon as I had my key out Sammy spun me around, my back against the door. One hand caressed my cheek, his thumb stroke my lips. Opening them, I sucked his finger into my mouth. His pupils dilated, his glaciers almost disappearing. In one swift move, he took the damn key from me and opened the door. Both of us stu
mbled to the floor inside of my apartment. Laughter rolled through the rooms as Sammy kicked the door shut and climbed on top of me.
Stretching my arms over my head, I welcomed him looking forward to a deliciously long night.
Five
Running out of my apartment the next day, I glanced at my clock and decided to skip my regular coffee stop at Luisa’s. Cursing under my breath, I hailed a cab and rattled of the address for the office as I entered.
The night had offered very little sleep. Both of us finally caved to sleep around five. When the phone rang three hours later, Sammy was gone from my apartment. No note, no text on my phone, nothing. I felt a pang of sadness that he hadn’t stayed, but Luisa had warned me. Besides, I wasn’t really looking for a steady relationship. Right?
Sitting in the cab, flashes of the night played in my mind and I had to suppress a shiver. He was good. Damn. Gorgeous, tender, rough, considerate – everything a girl could want.
Arriving at the office, I ran up the stairs pausing right outside the doors. I could hear Thomas yelling on the other side.
I didn’t knock, just walked in. Thomas didn’t stop his screaming, didn’t look up at me, not even a glance in my direction.
“What kind of irresponsible, idiotic, fucked up business are you keeping down there?! You had one job – one! How could you screw that up?”
Spittle flew everywhere as Thomas kept yelling at the poor barkeeper on the other end of the phone. Thankfully, he had them on speaker.
“But Sir, how were we supposed to know they took drugs with them into the bar? I thought they had signed a contract like the rest of us? The one that says that drugs is a no go in this company?”
Uh-oh. I knew where this was headed. Thomas face turned tomato red. Drawing in a breath, he opened his mouth to start the yelling again, but I stopped him before he drove off that cliff.
“Sho-sho, this is Tasha. Are you at the club now?”
I could hear the relief in her voice as she answered me, “Yes. Would you mind coming by so we could get this sorted? The club is a mess, and some from the band is still here, sleeping it off.”
