Bound by Tinsel

by Melinda Barron

  “And you’re not going to.” She stood up straight, pretending she had a book on her head, praying it would help her with poise. “I’m leaving. Don’t call me anymore.”

  “You want me as much as I want you. Admit it.”

  She stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the down button, keeping her back turned to him.

  “Fallon, come into my office so we can talk.”

  She laughed before turning toward him. He’d moved until they were inches apart. “That’s rich, you want to talk. That’s why you asked me to forget my underwear, so we could talk?”

  “Were you wearing undies the last time we talked?” He trailed his finger down her arm and her body felt as if it would explode. “Well, were you?”

  “This is some…I don’t know, twist of fate. But it won’t work. Go back to your office. Jack off, do whatever you want. I’m going home.”

  “What’s wrong, you can suck me off over the phone but I’m not good enough for you to do it in person?”

  Rage swept through her, replacing the desire that had been there moments before. She pulled her hand back to slap him just as the elevator dinged. Burke clasped her hand and pulled it down, jerking her against his chest. His mouth came down on hers, swallowing her scream of frustration.

  His tongue invaded, sliding into her warmth and making the desire that had just fled return, spreading heat to her nipples and clit and making them throb. She allowed herself to relax just a moment, savoring the taste of him, the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, wanting to hold him close just this once.

  And then the sound of a woman’s voice assaulted her ears. “You little slut.”

  She turned to find Sally standing in the elevator, eyes flashing in angry triumph. “Just wait until Elaine hears about this. You’re going to be unemployed.”

  Chapter Nine

  It was like being called to the principal’s office. Fallon sat, hands in her lap, looking at Elaine who was behind her desk, rifling through papers. There was a knock at the door and Sally appeared, a satisfied smirk on her face.

  “Come in,” Elaine said, indicating the seat next to Fallon.

  Sally sat and licked her lips as if she were about to enjoy a huge meal. Fallon wanted to reach across and slap the sneer off her face. But she wouldn’t give the other woman the satisfaction of knowing she’d been that riled up.

  Elaine continued to search through her papers, and then she took a seat. “Well, I see you two have taken your little feud out of the office and embarrassed the firm.

  “She really did,” Sally said, shaking her head. “I mean, to see her throwing herself at him like that was…”

  “I’m not talking about the kiss,” Elaine said, fixing a stare on Sally. “I’ve talked with Burke Gordon, who told me he initiated the contact, not Fallon.”

  Fallon’s heart soared at her words. Burke had defended her? Had he called her boss, or had Elaine called him to see what had happened? Knowing Elaine’s need for keeping things in house, she was sure that Burke had been the one to dial the phone.

  Bless his little soul. She wanted to run from the office, race into his arms and be the one to kiss him. She looked over at Sally. The shocked expression on the other woman’s face made her laugh. She tried, and failed, to keep it low.

  “It’s not funny,” Elaine said. “None of this is funny. What you do with your private life is your business, Fallon, but it shouldn’t have been done on company time, even if you weren’t the one to start it. And Sally, I have no idea what you were doing at White, Watson and Wilson, but whatever it was, I did not sanction it.”

  “But…”

  “No buts.” Elaine’s look silenced the other woman. “I warned you both about your dislike for each other, and now it has spread outside company walls. Do you know how embarrassing it was for me to talk with Burke Gordon? When he called, I was sure he would be laughing at me for my employees engaging in a verbal spar in front of him.”

  “I’m sorry,” Fallon said, remembering how she’d called Sally a witch before Burke stepped in front of her, asking the other woman who she was looking for, and how she’d gotten past the guards.

  Sally had hemmed and hawed about how she’d been waiting downstairs for Fallon and wanted to see what was taking so long. Fallon had outed the lie, and Sally had gotten off a few choice words before Burke politely informed her it was time for her to leave, before he called the guards to escort her from the building.

  Fallon had been horribly embarrassed, and she’d refused Burke’s offer to come back to his office. She’d gone home, her heart hammering as she replayed the night. He’d called her home phone at ten and left a message, asking her to call him back.

  Instead she’d taken a long bath, soaking in the hot water and pondering what she would do if she were fired in the morning. She’d slept fitfully, and when the phone had rang at seven, she’d known who it was. She was right.

  Burke’s deep, calming voice had sang out through the answering machine. “Fallon, please call me back.” He gave her his home and cell numbers and the direct line into his office. “Please, don’t shut me out. Call me back.”

  And say what, she’d wondered? I enjoyed phone sex with you, but we don’t belong together? Best to end it now, before more people found out and things became more entangled.

  Elaine’s voice broke into her meanderings. “You’re both suspended for the rest of the week without pay.”

  “You can’t do that.” Sally jumped up from her chair. “I was only—”

  “You will sit before I make your suspension permanent, do I make myself clear?”

  Fallon had never heard her boss so angry before. Sally sat, but not before she turned her angry glare on Fallon. The meaning of the look was evident. This is all your fault.

  “Your suspension starts today and ends next Monday. You are both valued employees, but I will not tolerate any more foolishness. I hope this drives that home. Now, get your bags and leave. I’ll see you at eight Monday morning. You can both go now.”

  Fallon stood. “Thank you, Elaine. Once again, I’m sorry.”

  Sally stormed from the office without saying a word.

  Fallon followed, and as she neared her desk, she frowned. There was a long, narrow flower box sitting there, tied in red tinsel.

  Sally was banging around her desk, making as much noise as possible. She grabbed her purse and stopped at Fallon’s desk long enough to give her a one-fingered salute before slamming out the door.

  “I don’t know what I ever did,” Fallon said, her eyes trained on the box. It was obvious who it was from. Did she want to open it in front of everyone?

  “She’s always needed someone to hate,” Margaret said from the desk next to hers. “Sally is a very unhappy person.”

  There was a silence and Fallon toyed with the tinsel. “Open it,” several voices called out.

  She giggled, then undid the wrappings, lifting the lid to find a dozen roses, a mixture of white and lavender sitting on a bed of silver tinsel.

  “Wow,” Margaret said. “You know what those mean, don’t you? I mean, red’s for love, sure, but white is for weddings, you know, when you’re starting something? And lavender is the beginning of love, like falling for someone when you first see them. I’m so impressed. Who are they from?”

  Fallon’s hands shook as she picked up the card. There was an address in Point Loma with nine p.m. written beneath it.

  Margaret’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s right on the beach. Who are you going to see?”

  Fallon wanted to scream that it was Burke Gordon, but then in a few days, when she was back to work, how would she explain that it had probably only been for one night? The reality of it being that Fallon could never live up to the fantasy that Serendipity provided. Why didn’t Burke understand that?

  She supposed that tonight she would tell him. What would one night hurt? They could enjoy a rousing session between the sheets, and then she co
uld go back to being suspended from her job and talking with customers every night, providing them a fantasy that, for her, would never come true.

  Chapter Ten

  Fallon hadn’t been sure what to wear. Since she’d had the free time, she’d spent it rummaging through her closet, pulling out dresses and pants and sweaters, discarding all of them in a big heap on her bed.

  She rarely went out, so she didn’t exactly have a lot of fancy clothes. Nothing looked like something she would wear for an outing with Burke Gordon. She finally decided on a full black skirt that she hoped hid her overabundance of hips, and a red blouse made of a nice satiny material. She’d put on the one bra she had that opened in front, and worn thigh-high stockings because they made her feel sexy. She hoped Burke thought the same way.

  “Looks a little Christmasy,” she said to the mirror as she examined her choice. She’d gone back and forth about whether she should go or not. There was no future in it, but the chance to have sex with a guy like Burke only came around once in life. She needed to grab it while she could.

  She’d cancelled all the evening’s calls, and her supervisor had complained that this was getting to be the norm for her.

  “You’re going to lose your regulars,” she’d said in a huffy voice. “Does that matter to you?”

  No, not right now. “I’m just not in the mood,” Fallon had replied. “Tell them I’m on vacation, for a week or so. Then I’ll get back to you.” If I feel like doing this again, which something tells me I might not.

  Sure, the money was nice, but after a wonderful experience with a man like Burke, how would she be able to keep on going? She would measure each call with her experience with him, expect each unknown man to take her as high as he had.

  Since that wouldn’t be happening, it might be best just to let it go. She made enough money at her job to live comfortably; maybe she just needed to leave it at that.

  She waffled about her decision as she got into her car, and continued to waver as she drove across town, rolling down the window to inhale the deep, rich smell of the ocean as she drew nearer.

  It wasn’t hard to find the address he’d given her. As she pulled into the drive, she noted the sports car sitting inside the open garage. The car did nothing more than reinforce the differences between them. This was a two-car garage and she wondered what was hidden behind the closed door.

  Another expensive car, or a motorcycle, maybe? Or maybe even a boat? She scratched that idea. If he had a boat, and she had no doubt that he did, it was in a slip somewhere, ready to be taken out at a moment’s notice.

  “This is a bad idea,” she whispered to herself. “Go home and call him, tell him you’ve changed your mind. End it now.”

  The rap on the window made her jump. She turned her head to see Burke leaning over. He wore loose tan slacks and a dark blue shirt that was open a few buttons. She suddenly felt very overdressed.

  “Open the door, baby. Come inside.”

  Baby. She sighed, picked up her purse then reached for the flowers she’d brought with her, one of each color rose he’d sent her that morning. She thought it was the best way to thank him, to let him know she’d received them.

  She hit the unlock button and he opened the door, offering her hand to help her out. When the door was closed, he lifted her hand to his lips. “You are so gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.” A blush heated her cheeks. She lifted the roses so he could see them. “And thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome, but they pale in comparison.”

  She wanted to say “Yeah, right,” or “Great line,” but she just gave him a smile. He didn’t let go of her hand as they headed toward the house. She examined it as they walked. It was a white two-story affair with lots of windows. As they stepped inside she marveled at it. The windows were accompanied by lots of chrome and the furniture was very modern, a mixture of black and white.

  “This is nice,” she said. “Actually, nice doesn’t hack it. It’s fantastic.”

  “Thanks. I’d like to take credit for the decorating, but unfortunately I can’t. My mother and two sisters did it all.”

  She murmured in relief, afraid he was going to say his girlfriend had done it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear that.

  He stopped in the main room and took her purse from her hand, tossing it into a chair.

  “Thirsty?” The seductive promise of his voice made her knees tremble.

  “No.”

  “Hungry?”

  Only for you. “No, no food.”

  “Good.” He grasped her face between his hands and kissed her, pressing his lips against her in a deep, searing passion that made her clit twitch in appreciation. Wetness soaked into her panties as his tongue delved inside her. He tasted of toothpaste, with a slight tang of beer and she smiled.

  “You’ve been drinking.”

  “A little. I had to try and get hold of myself before I got…well, hold of myself. I’ve been hard all day, thinking of you. I was hoping the beer would make my cock go down, but, it didn’t. Please don’t tell me you’re going to say no.”

  “No.”

  The crestfallen look on his face made her giggle. “No, I meant no, I’m not going to say, no. Oh, I sound like a moron.” She put her face in her hands, willing Serendipity to step forward and take control of the situation.

  “You’re not a moron,” he said, gently moving her hands from her face. “Look at me.”

  She lifted her gaze to his, gasping at the look of utter desire she saw. “I need you, need to be inside you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you for days. Do you know how hard it is to negotiate a divorce settlement when you’re constantly…well, hard?”

  “No, I can honestly say that I don’t.” She leaned toward him and kissed him, letting her lips linger on his before pulling back just a little. “But it wasn’t me who made you hard. It was Serendipity. It was her voice, her ideas.”

  “The voice is yours.” He returned the kiss, soft and chaste. “And every last word came from you, from the talk of sucking my dick to the discussion about wishes and dreams. All of it was you.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” She was ready to bolt if her emotions got the best of her. Doing without him would be tough once she’d had a taste. He was just too yummy for words.

  Burke gave her an evil grin before he kissed her again. “I thought you might say that,” he whispered against her lips.

  He kissed her deeper, and she cried out in dismay when she heard something click. There was pressure on one wrist, and then suddenly on the other.

  He lifted her arms above her head and attached them to a hook. She struggled as he held her close. “Shush, it’s all right, just a pair of adult handcuffs.” He stroked her sides and kissed her again. “Is the position uncomfortable? Do I need to let out the chain just a little?”

  She looked up to see a chain handing from a hook in the ceiling. She swallowed hard, then shook her head. Breathe deeply, she coached herself, relax.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Good. I guessed at your height after seeing you last night.” His hand drifted down her hips and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Yummy.”

  He flicked his tongue over her lips as his hands drifted to the edge of her skirt, gathering it into his palms and inching it up. “Relax, Fallon, just relax.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she said, her breath seeming to catch in her throat.

  In response he gave her a grin that made her stomach flip.

  He lifted her skirt over her lips and put his hands in the waist of her panties. She’d worn the sexiest pair she owned, a red, lacy one that was as close to a thong as she’d ever get. He pulled them, down, leaving them around her ankles.

  “Spread your legs, pretty one.” She did as he asked, resisting the urge to ask if he was talking about her. When his hand cupped her mons, she moaned deeply.

  “Already wet for me. It goes well with the hard cock in my pants.”

  “I want to see.’
She let her gaze drift down. No more waffling. She was going to enjoy this night. Being tied up was a fantasy, and to live it out with Burke would make things perfect.

  “Not yet.” His hand left her pussy and went to her blouse, unfastening the buttons slowly. She looked over his shoulder, realizing they were standing in front of the outer walls, which were lined with glass.

  “Someone could see us.”

  “Yes, maybe, if they got close enough.” Her blouse was open now, but still tucked into her skirt. He put a hand over each breast, palming them through the satin of her bra. “You are so beautiful.”

  She blushed, then groaned as his hands slipped inside the bra, his fingers seeking her nipples. He found them easily enough, teasing the already rock hard buds until Fallon whimpered and tried to push herself into him.

  “Please.”

  “Not yet. It’s early, and we have all night to enjoy each other.”

  Yes, one night. She closed her eyes and gasped as his mouth claimed a nipple, sucking it in deeply, his tongue flickering over the bud as she wiggled, the hard wall against her back, his hard body against her front.

  “Tasty,” he said, running his tongue in the valley between her breasts and capturing the other nipple, his teeth nibbling it as she writhed against him. He was going to drive her crazy. She needed him inside her. Now.

  One of his hands dropped back between her legs and he expertly parted her lips, found her clit. He flicked his thumb over it.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured in her ear. “In my wildest dreams I never thought something this perfect would happen in this room.”

  He pinched her clit and she came, rocking against his hand, the feeling spreading over her like shock waves, leaving her limp and thankful for the chain that was holding her up.

  “Burke!”

  “Yes, Fallon? Is something wrong?” He sounded very pleased with himself.

  “Yes.” She thought back to their phone sessions. “I need to fuck, need to feel your dick inside my hot, wet pussy.”