by Alexa Riley
Patrick: Hey, Paige. It’s a long shot, but I wanted to see if you were free for lunch today. We can meet at the same coffee shop as last time, if that will work. Maybe around noon?
Normally Captain and I have lunch with our team or alone. But I always eat with Captain. Now that things between Captain and me are serious, I don’t see a way around not inviting him along. I walk over to his desk and lean my hip against it. His eyes travel down my tight black top to my black-and-gold palazzo pants. I’ve got on my gold Dior stilettos that Captain fucked me in before we left my apartment this morning. When his eyes land on them, I see an eyebrow rise, and I know he’s thinking about it, too. I feel a pool of warm liquid swirl around the lower half of my body, and I have to clear my throat to concentrate on what I’m saying.
“Eyes up here, sailor.”
Captain leans back in his seat and puts his hands behind his head. This makes his dress shirt stretch across his muscles and chest, and fuck, I want to straddle his lap.
“I wasn’t in the navy, but if you want to pretend, I’d gladly welcome you aboard.” He spreads his thighs a little, and I roll my eyes at his lame joke.
“Later. Right now I need to ask you a favor, and before you say yes, I need you to agree to all the terms.” I narrow my eyes at him, and he crosses his arms. “I want to have lunch with my friend Patrick. Simmer down,” I say, when I see him open his mouth. “I want you to come with me, but I need you to play nice.”
“Oh, I’m going,” Captain says.
“I literally just asked you to go. What I need you to do is be nice. Patrick was an old friend of mine, and I want to catch up. I’m not saying I want you two to be besties, but I would appreciate the support. Think you can handle that?”
“Yes.”
He agrees too fast, and it makes me skeptical. “You promise? No alpha bullshit chest-beating?”
He uncrosses his arms and stands up, looking down at me. Even with my skyscraper heels, he’s still a head taller, and I have to admit it’s intimidating.
“You like it when I do my alpha bullshit.”
I audibly swallow and feel my pulse move to the juncture between my legs. No matter how much I try to deny it, he’s right. The shit turns me on like crazy. But that doesn’t mean I have to tell him so.
“I like it when you give me what I want. And I want to go to lunch at noon with Patrick.” He huffs, and I place my hands on his chest. “And I want you by my side. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I reach up and playfully smack the side of his cheek and turn to walk away. I can feel his eyes on my ass, and I walk with a little more bounce in my step than normal to tease him. I don’t know why I love pushing his buttons, but it’s truly the greatest pastime of all.
When I get to my desk, I text Patrick back.
Me: Sounds great. Hope you don’t mind, but I’m bringing my boyfriend.
I feel silly typing “boyfriend,” but I guess that’s what Captain is. Patrick texts back a thumbs-up emoji almost instantly. I look over at Captain, and of course he has his eyes on me, so I open my desk drawer and take out a lollipop.
When I pop it in my mouth and suck on the end, he looks like he could spit nails. His grip tightens on his desk, and I wink at him, turning back to my computer screen. I love making that big man suffer.
*
BY THE TIME lunch rolls around, I’ve eaten no less than five lollipops to torture Captain. When it’s time to leave, he comes over to my desk and jerks the candy out of my hand and throws it in the trash.
“Let’s go before I take you in the bathroom and spank your little ass.”
“Promises, promises,” I say, grabbing my bag and brushing past him. I make sure he feels the curve of my ass against his crotch, and I swear I hear him curse under his breath.
We get in the elevator, and I feel the need between us charging. I plan to maul him when the elevator doors close, but just as they are about to, a hand comes through and Jordan stops them from shutting all the way. He hops in and looks at us, smiling. He has no clue that the sexual tension between us is so tight it’s about to snap this elevator in half.
“Get out,” Captain says, and I put my fingers in front of my mouth to stifle a laugh.
Jordan looks between us, and then slowly steps off the elevator. The doors shut, and Captain pushes a code, locking them closed and stopping us from moving.
He turns to me and slowly walks over, pressing me up against the wall. “You want me to take you right here? Because I’ll fuck you anywhere I want. And with the way you’ve been teasing me today, it looks like you’re begging for it.”
My breathing is shaky as his hardness rubs against me.
“If you behave through lunch, I’ll bring you back here and give you what you want. I’ll bend you over and take you hard, just how you like it. I’ll make you come on my dick and tell you all the dirty shit you love to hear. But don’t bait me, kitten. Because you and I both know that’s a dangerous game.”
He steps back and hits the button for the main floor, and the elevator moves again. By the time the doors open again, I’m still flustered, but Captain doesn’t have a hair out of place. He takes my hand and pulls me from the elevator as people step around us, trying to get on. Once we get outside and the fresh air hits me, I’m able to take a breath and get my head clear. Jesus, that man makes me dizzy.
When we get to the coffee shop, we walk inside and see Patrick at one of the tables off to the side. He’s wearing dark-rimmed glasses, and his hair is messy, but he still has the same smile from when we were kids. He’s still as skinny, but only now he has some facial hair. I walk over and start to give him a hug, but Captain steps in front of me.
“Hi, I’m Ryan, Paige’s fiancé. It’s nice to meet you.”
I’m shocked on so many levels. For one, because he cut me off like we were in traffic. Second, because when did I agree to marry him, and third, because I’m kind of melting that he did all of the above. God, what is wrong with me?
“I’m Patrick. Nice to meet you.” He gives Captain a genuine smile and meets his eyes. It’s friendly and nonthreatening.
I lean around Captain and wave to Patrick, and he waves back.
“I already ordered at the counter if you guys want to. Or you can sit and order later,” Patrick says.
“You sit, Paige. I’ll order.”
Captain watches me as I take my seat, and I swear he’s doing this so I don’t make a move to touch Patrick. I indulge his alpha tendencies and sit down across from Patrick. From where my seat is, I can watch him go get in line and wait to order our food. He keeps glancing over at me, and it’s kind of adorable.
“I’m really glad you came today. It’s been hectic with work, but I wanted to try and reach out,” Patrick says, taking my eyes away from Captain.
“Me, too. I’ve had a lot going on, and I completely forgot. So I was really happy you sent a text.” I glance back over to where Captain is and see that there’s a woman beside him in line. She’s checking him out, but he doesn’t look her way. The line is long and it’s moving slowly, so he hasn’t taken a step forward.
“So what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?” Patrick’s question pulls me back to the conversation.
“Wow, a lot actually.” I tell him about college, trying to keep it somewhat light and upbeat but I knew what happened to him. It’s been sitting on my mind all these years. “What happened to you when we were kids? You disappeared.” I want to know more about him. He was the one who up and vanished.
Patrick smiles at me. “I got picked up for shoplifting and then got put into foster care. But I got lucky. I was adopted by a really great family that helped me work through some shit and got me involved with the Big Brother program. That’s what I do now. I give back and pay it forward.”
“That’s a relief. I always thought something bad happened to you,” I tell him, glad to hear everything was fine.
“Yeah, we had it rough growing up, for sure,
” he says, taking a drink of his tea.
Looking back over to Captain, I see the woman edging closer to him. This time I see her not-so-accidentally brush against him, and he turns around to look at her. I’m too far away to see what she says, but she leans in and touches his arm. I feel myself growl low in my chest as a territorial wave hits me. Who does this bitch think she is? Captain says something and turns back around, ignoring her, and it eases some of my anger.
I open my mouth to say something else to Patrick, but I see the woman take her phone out and point it at Captain’s ass. Fiery anger rises up my neck as I see her snap a picture of his butt.
“Oh, hell no.” I stand up out of my chair so fast, it hits the wall. Captain turns to look at me when he hears the noise, and concern is etched all over his face.
The woman isn’t paying attention, and I stomp over to where she’s standing. Before she can look up, I snatch the phone out of her hand. She turns to me, a mix of anger and embarrassment on her pinched face.
“What do you think you—”
“You shut the fuck up,” I say, cutting her off. The room goes silent, and I can feel eyes on us. “I saw you snap a picture of my man’s ass. Number one, nobody messes with what’s mine. Number two, how dare you? If you were a man and this was a woman, imagine how this would play out. You’d be called a pervert and I’d get the cops involved. Just because you’re a woman doesn’t give you the right to objectify someone or take their picture without their consent. Have some respect, and don’t be an asshole. Especially when their fiancée is standing ten feet away.” I smash the phone down on the tile floor and watch it shatter into a thousand pieces.
“You owe me a phone!” the woman screams, but nobody backs her up. She’s alone in this, and she knows it.
“I don’t owe you shit. You took a picture of my man, I took your phone. We’re even. But I suggest you get your ass out of here before I want to get more than even.”
I put my hands on my hips, waiting for her to make a move. She looks around for half a second, then decides to leave. I stand there making sure she stays gone, and I feel Captain’s big hands come around my waist.
“Fiancée?” he asks, and I wave my hand like I’m batting the word away. “And here I thought you liked objectifying me,” he says, so low only I can hear him.
Seeing the show is over, the restaurant’s patrons go back to what they were doing. I turn in Captain’s arms and smile up at him.
“Only I get to treat you like a piece of meat. Now get me a sandwich. I’m starving.”
He squeezes my ass and laughs before he lets me go, and I walk back over to where Patrick is sitting.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause a scene,” I say, shrugging.
He laughs a little and shakes his head. “You haven’t changed at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“When we were kids, you used to get so pissed off when people would touch your things. I understood it, though, because neither of us had much. So what we did have was precious. I guess it’s that way with you still.”
I give him a half smile, thinking he’s right. “Yeah, I guess so. And I do love that man.” I glance over and see Captain wink at me, and I feel the love in my chest.
By the time our food is ready and the three of us start eating, we’re through the small talk of introductions and what we’re doing now.
“So what happened with your mom and dad?” Patrick asks, looking over at Captain and then back at me. He’s is trying to gauge what Captain knows, and I appreciate him protecting that.
“She passed away. He split,” I answer, trying to sum it up as quickly and painlessly as possible. I don’t want to go into any more detail than necessary. Patrick was a part of that life, but it was a long time ago, and I don’t really want to dig it up.
“Sorry to hear about that.”
We tiptoe around the bad times in our lives, trying to focus on the good. We tell Captain stories about growing up, and talking about it brings some of the better memories back to the front of my mind. The more we talk, the happier I am that Captain came and that we did this. It lets him see another part of me, and it reminds me that I’m not all doom and gloom. There are pieces of me that are still good and bright. Just like the pieces he’s given me.
A dark-skinned guy with long dreadlocks walks into the coffee shop and smiles over at our table. I don’t recognize him, but he comes straight to Patrick and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, baby. Sorry I’m late.” He looks over at us and offers his hand to me. “I’m Amos, Patrick’s husband.”
We shake hands and Amos joins us for the rest of lunch. It warms my heart to see Patrick so happy and in love. It’s clear that the two men are head over heels, even after Amos tells us they’ve been together since they were twelve.
Captain takes my hand under the table and squeezes, and I know it’s time to go. When we say our goodbyes, it’s with promises to do this again, and I mean it. It’s nice having a part of my past that isn’t dark and dirty. It’s a relief to be able to hold on to something from that time, to have a memory that doesn’t remind me of what I did or didn’t do.
On our walk back to work, Captain brings our joined hands up to his mouth and kisses mine. My steps are light, and I feel like a weight is being lifted.
Neither of us mentions the F word the whole way back.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Paige
* * *
WHEN WE GET back to the office, I take a step toward my desk, but Captain tugs on my arm. I follow him down the hall, thinking he must want to talk to me. He was quiet on our walk and didn’t say anything in the elevator on the way up.
We go around the corner, and he pulls me quickly into the women’s restroom, slamming the door and locking it. He grabs my hips and turns me to face the sinks. I feel his hand push on my shoulders, and I lean forward, gripping the counter. I look up to the mirror in front of me and see his angry reflection behind me. He grabs the waistband of my pants and pushes them down my hips, taking my panties with them. My lower half is exposed to him, but it’s not enough. He kicks my feet apart, and he stares down at my ass as he undoes his belt. The sound of the zipper is loud in the room.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, feeling adrenaline and excitement spike through me.
His motions are jerky, and when he’s free of his pants, he grabs his hard cock and strokes it.
“You think I forgot about how you teased me today?” I feel his wet tip rub on my ass cheek. “You’re lucky I don’t fuck that mouth of yours to teach you a lesson, but you’d like that too much.”
My mouth waters at the thought of sucking him off while he’s mad. He’d be aggressive and probably lose control.
“Look at you, kitten. Bent over and getting wetter by the second. All I have to do is remind you that you’re mine and you’re soaked for it.” He touches me between my legs with his free hand, and his fingers coat themselves in my desire. Suddenly his fingers are gone, and I feel a stinging slap on my ass. “You ever pull a stunt like sucking on lollipops at your desk again and I’ll make my dick your candy for a week.”
“That’s like threatening me with food. You’re doing punishment wrong, Captain.”
There’s another smack, and damn if it doesn’t make me hotter.
“You call me Ryan when your pussy is out. And just because I get off doesn’t mean you get to. I’ll make sure you go a week without a single orgasm to ease that ache between your legs.”
Fuck. He’s got me there.
As we look into the mirror, our eyes lock, and I nod. He seems to take that as an agreement and lets go of his cock, using both hands to grab my hips.
“Now, if you keep quiet and give me what I want, I’ll let you come. You going to be good for me, kitten?”
“Yes, Ryan.” I don’t tease him anymore because I can see how close to the edge he is. I’m dripping with anticipation of the hard fuck he’s about to give me, and I don’t want to do anyth
ing to derail it.
His powerful thrust fills me almost to the point of pain. His big cock is longer and thicker than my body is made to take, but somehow I adjust. As if he knows I need a second, he pauses long enough for me to catch my breath before he pulls out and hammers back in. His strokes seem to go on forever as the length of his shaft pulls out and then possessively pushes back in. He owns every inch of my body, and the thrill of being taken is like a drug. I’m dizzy with lust as I watch him take me. His face is savage, and the feel of his grip balances between pleasure and pain. My tall heels give me some height as I’m bent over, but my feet lift off the floor slightly as he fucks into me. A sheen of sweat covers my body as I try to muffle my pants and cries of pleasure. Normally, I can be as loud as I want, when he makes love to me at home, but this isn’t the place for that. We’re right beyond our offices, and something about that makes this even hotter. He wants me so badly he can’t wait to get somewhere private. He has to get inside me without a moment of hesitation.
He releases my hip and brings his hand up to cover my mouth. It’s what I need as my orgasm rips through my body and I scream my pleasure into his palm. He knew I was close before I did, and he knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from shouting.
“You can’t keep that sassy mouth shut, can you?” he says, giving me an evil grin in the mirror. He looks wild as he thrusts into me one last time and grunts out his release. The sight of him climaxing so hard sends more tremors through me. He’s like an animal that’s come to rut, and the primal part of my body is loving his rough treatment.
I’m like a goddamn cat in heat getting mated by her king. And I can’t say that doesn’t turn me on.
My legs are shaky as he pulls out slowly and then bends down to pull up my panties and palazzo pants. I brace all my weight on the counter as he rights my clothes and then his. Afterward, he turns me around and I fall to his chest, completely spent. I want to lie down and take a nap, but instead he makes me stand here.
