To The Top: An Older Alpha Male and Curvy Younger Woman Romance

by Adele Niles

  So she was into him.

  And she was so pretty.

  She was probably the kind of woman Sam liked.

  She looked at me again. It was a look of blatant distaste.

  I hadn’t done anything wrong. Was she that angry that I was working with Sam?

  Next to me, he shook his head. “We’re probably going to be making edits tonight before the formal meeting tomorrow. This is so we can practice our presentation and let Martin review it, so, no thanks.”

  Sarah groaned. “Well, when you’re free, we gotta get together. Okay? I want to see you outside of work.”

  “Maybe one day. I have to get back to work now.”

  Sarah cast one more look at me. She frowned. “Sam, are you sure you want somebody that looks like, well… that in the meeting with you? I mean, she could have tried to dress with the light on this morning.”

  I looked up, staring at her in shock. Rude. Why was she talking about me like I wasn’t in the room? This had to be some kind of power trip. Some sort of dominance display, or attempt to stake her claim on Sam.

  But he just frowned. “Sarah, get out. Riley knows what she’s doing. Frankly, she could show up in a burlap sack, and I’d still be happy to have her in the meeting with me. Leave so we can get this done.”

  Sarah snorted. “Okay, fine. Whatever you say, Sam.”

  Once the door was shut, I glanced at Sam. I felt stupid asking, but I needed to know. “Who was that?”

  My voice sounded so small, ashamed.

  “Her name’s Sarah. She’s another executive. She’s…a lot sometimes.”

  “Oh.” I nodded. “Okay.”

  A lot was an understatement.

  “Listen, don’t worry about her. She’s superficial as hell and thinks fashion is more important than doing hard work.” Sam smiled at me.

  I felt a surprising rush of heat through my body, pooling between my thighs.

  God, I was easy. All it took was a guy being nice to me to get me wet.

  Or maybe it was because he’d defended me to a woman who looked like a supermodel.

  From the heat in my cheeks, I knew I had to be blushing.

  Sam continued. “How’s it going?”

  “Good,” I said, turning back to my screen. “I’m almost done with my batch. Then we just need to put the slides together and I think we’re good to go. Do you have notes for the presentation?”

  “I do. They’re in the file with the graphics.”

  “Great. Um, is it okay if I have a printout on hand? I’ll learn my parts for the real meeting, I just…”

  He smiled. “We understand. You’re stepping in at the last minute. Print a copy for today. As long as you know what to say tomorrow, we’ll be good. Let’s get this done, huh?”

  “Yeah.” I smiled and turned back to my computer.

  I hoped he’d meant what he said to Sarah—that he didn’t care how I looked, just that I knew what I was doing.

  Because I couldn’t help being attracted to Sam. He was gorgeous, and smart, and surprisingly kind. In my experience, most guys who looked as good as him were jerks. But he was being patient, and friendly, and he liked my ideas.

  I just wanted him to keep being impressed with me.

  I wanted this working relationship to continue, even if I was sure a romantic one would never happen.

  Chapter Five

  Sam

  The meeting was over, and I felt like I could breathe again.

  Riley and I had hauled ass to make it happen. We’d pushed ourselves hard, and it had paid off.

  I knew this because Martin was shaking my hand and congratulating me loudly in front of the other partners at the agency.

  “That was fantastic, Sam, really. I’ve got some notes for you, but if you can pull it off like that for the presentation, you and Riley just might seal the deal for us.” He smiled, letting go of my hand to pat me on the shoulder instead. “We needed some fresh minds here, and I think you and Miss Drake might be the answer.”

  I smiled. “Thank you, sir. We’ll take your notes and get them done, even if it means working late.”

  Martin nodded. “It might. But get this deal, and I’ll give you both a paid week off to celebrate.”

  “Oh, that—you don’t have to, sir, really. It’ll be enough to get this contract.”

  “Oh, hush. If you can get this one, you’ll be a hero.” Martin patted my shoulder, then turned as Riley cautiously approached us. “Miss Drake! What a first day, huh? But you’re handling it like a champ!”

  Riley blushed. It was adorable.

  “Thank you, Mr. Cramer,” she said. “I’m really happy that you like the presentation.”

  “I do! Very much. I was telling Sam here that I’ve got some notes, but you two should be able to accomplish it before we present to the client tomorrow.”

  Riley smiled. “Yes, sir! Absolutely. I’ll work all night if that’s what it takes. We’ll give it our best. Promise.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” Martin shook her hand, still grinning. “You’re going to be a force to reckon with around here, I can already tell.” His expression turned more serious, all business again. At the end of the day, Martin really was an incredible businessman. “I’ll email you two my notes. God knows you won’t be able to read my chicken scratch at midnight. If you need anything, call or text, any time.”

  “We will.” I nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Cramer. I’m feeling good about tomorrow.”

  “So am I. We’ll see you then, huh?”

  After Martin left the conference room, a few of the other partners and executives lingered, including Sarah. I could hear them whispering and shifted just a little closer, pretending to look at my laptop.

  “—believe he’d let some girl on her first day handle something this major. It’s ridiculous. Why wouldn’t he give it to one of us?”

  Ah. Of course they were angry. But they all had their own projects, including Sarah. Big, important projects that couldn’t get put on hold because of Acres Automotive.

  And it wasn’t my fault Riley was more qualified than any of the other low-level workers. It wasn’t her fault, either.

  Maybe everybody else needed to get on her level.

  Riley approached me, standing quietly for a moment before speaking. “Um, so Mr. Cramer wants us to work late. Is it okay if I run out and grab dinner?”

  I was glad she’d started talking. She didn’t need to hear what any of the others were saying literally behind her back.

  “Well, I was thinking we should go somewhere else to work?” I started to unplug my laptop from the projector. “Get out of this stuffy office for a while, get comfy.”

  Riley smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good. D’you know a place we can go?”

  “Yeah. Here.”

  I reached for one of the notepads on the desk and tore a page out. I wrote down an address and put it in her hand. “Meet me there around seven? That should be enough time for you to get home and get comfy. And don’t worry about dinner. I’ll cover it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Just come ready to work all night and pull off a killer presentation in the morning.”

  Riley bit her lower lip, but nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you in a little while.”

  She tucked the note into her pocket and turned to leave.

  I watched her go, sighing quietly.

  I couldn’t believe I’d just given her my address.

  Chapter Six

  Riley

  I barely remembered the drive home. One second, I was at work; the next I was in my apartment, staring at my closet.

  How had this happened?

  I hadn’t anticipated getting put on any projects for at least the first year of working there. Especially not something so high-profile.

  And Sam was talking to me. A lot.

  I looked at the address he’d left me, tucked into the pocket of my skirt. There was no business name or anything, just a street addr
ess.

  But he’d written it himself. I trusted him.

  I reached into my closet, deciding on what I was wearing—comfy leggings and a flowy tunic that looked good on me. It was a weekend outfit; comfy, but still nice enough to wear out of the house. It looked cute with my favorite sandals, too.

  I changed and brushed my hair, put on a bracelet that I liked. He’d said to be comfortable, and I was, but I wanted to look nice, too.

  I wanted him to think I was pretty.

  Because I was definitely attracted to him.

  * * * * *

  I had to double-check the address.

  This looked like an industrial complex, not a housing development or coffee shop. But I’d entered it into my GPS correctly.

  I took the last turn and breathed a sigh of relief. There was a sign on the building. Dwell was a fancy condo complex that I’d heard about on the news—they were super ritzy, luxurious.

  Exactly the kind of place I could see a guy like Sam living.

  Definitely not the crummy apartment I was in for now.

  Just until the end of the lease, I reminded myself. Then, it’s all good. I could move someplace nicer and feel like an adult.

  I parked in one of the spaces labeled ‘visitor’ and walked to the front door, carrying my laptop bag and purse. At the buzzer, I searched the listing of last names until I found Waters. There was only one. It had to be Sam.

  I pushed the button. A moment passed, and then his voice came over the little speaker. “Hey, is this Riley?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. Can you let me in?”

  “Yeah, I will. Take the elevator to the top floor. The door’s unlocked.”

  I looked up at the building. It was huge. Was his really the only apartment on the top floor?

  I heard the lock click and inhaled slowly, letting myself in. I followed Sam’s directions and took the elevator to the top.

  There was indeed only one door in the hallway.

  I opened it. A delicious smell hit me first—spicy, a little sweet. Coconut, maybe?

  “Hey, Riley!”

  I turned toward the sound of his voice. Sam was in the kitchen. He looked delicious. The white t-shirt he was wearing clung to him like it was painted on, showcasing muscles he obviously worked hard on. And those jeans didn’t leave much to the imagination.

  I tried not to look.

  But then he turned to face me head-on.

  The jeans fit tight enough to show me exactly what he was packing, and it looked huge.

  My mouth watered, and that same heat ran through me again.

  This was going to be difficult. How could I be professional when all I could think about was fucking him?

  I could barely even remember what we were supposed to be working on.

  Right—the presentation. The Acres Automotive pitch.

  I took a deep breath. “Uh… hey.”

  He smiled. “C’mon, let me give you a quick tour. I love this place. Have you looked at these?”

  I laughed nervously. “No, my last job didn’t, you know, pay a whole lot. I’ve never even considered something this nice. It’s really beautiful.” It was modern, and masculine, and from the balcony there was an incredible view of the city.

  I loved it already.

  I wondered if he would let me come over more often.

  Professionally, of course.

  Not because I wanted to sleep with him. Even though I did.

  He showed me around the apartment. His office was large, but he kept the light off. He showed me which door led to his bedroom, and to his home gym, and which one was the bathroom.

  It was a beautiful condo. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous.

  We went back to the front, to the open kitchen and dining room. Sam gestured toward the bar stools on one side of the island counter. “Have a seat. I should have asked—do you like Thai food? I cooked.”

  Holy shit.

  That’s what that delicious smell was.

  “I love Thai food.” I smiled. “Massaman curry is one of my favorite things on the planet.”

  “Good.” Sam smiled. “It’s not Massaman, but I did make curry.”

  “Perfect.”

  He turned, picking up a bottle of wine that had been breathing on the counter. He poured two glasses and handed one to me. “Pulled this out of the chiller a little while ago. This one should go great with the curry.”

  I didn’t recognize the label. It must have been expensive, far fancier than the stuff I usually bought.

  This felt almost romantic. Homemade dinner, fancy wine, a night at Sam’s house.

  But we were here to work.

  I had to get myself under control.

  Sam took a sip of his wine while he checked a pot on the stove. “Almost ready. I hope you don’t mind meeting here. I’ve just learned that a change of scenery helps me think clearer. Our office is great, but this is a lot more relaxed.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. This is great. Thanks for inviting me over. I was a little worried that we were going to be at a cafe or something, but this is nice.”

  He laughed. “Nah, I wouldn’t do anything like that. Besides, our work is pretty confidential. We couldn’t talk to each other in a coffee shop.”

  Right. Of course. I’d signed an NDA as part of my employment paperwork.

  But I managed to smile. “Well, this is really nice.”

  “Good. I’m glad you like it.”

  He paused as his phone started to ring. It was close to me on the island, and I got a glance at the screen before he picked it up.

  Sarah.

  What was going on between them? Sam acted like he wasn’t interested, but she was persistent.

  There had to be something going on.

  He sighed and shook his head. “I’m gonna take this. I’ll be back in a sec, okay?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded slowly. “That’s fine. I’ll be here.”

  As he walked away, I took a long sip of my wine.

  This crush I had on Sam was only going to get me hurt in the end. I had to get over it, and fast.

  Chapter Seven

  Sam

  I didn’t know how Riley managed to stay so focused.

  After dinner, we went right to work. We kept drinking wine, and chatted a little, but her ability to plug in and work hard was astounding.

  And it made me feel a little guilty.

  I could barely take my eyes off of her.

  The leggings showed off her gorgeous legs and thick thighs. And while her tunic was long enough, when she’d bent to grab her laptop from the bag, I’d gotten the most incredible view of her ass—round and firm and absolutely perfect.

  Even fully dressed, it had been enough to make my dick hard. I’d had to excuse myself to the bathroom until I’d calmed down.

  But even without her ass driving me crazy, she was a distraction. The stretchy fabric of her shirt clung to her tits, hugged her hips. I wanted to touch her so bad.

  But we had to finish. I knew this. The presentation was in the morning, and we needed it to be perfect.

  I managed to hold it together, at least, until we’d finished the project.

  Riley had already closed her laptop. She turned to me, smiling.

  She was tipsy.

  So was I.

  She reached for her wine glass, then lifted it to her lips. All I could think about was her mouth on me.

  And then it slipped out of her hands.

  Red wine splattered her tunic, spreading across the light blue fabric.

  “Shit!” Riley snapped, leaping to her feet.

  I rose, too. The couch was vinyl and would wipe clean; the hardwood floors wouldn’t stain. Only her tunic was in danger.

  “Hang on, hang on, I’ll get you a shirt. We’ll get that one in the wash.” I hopped up and went back to the bedroom, grabbing her one of my sleep shirts. It fit loose on me, and would probably look cute on her.

  When I came back, she was still standing beside the couch,
looking down at her tunic. I handed her the sleep shirt. “Here, give me that one.”

  Riley looked at me for a moment, confused, then nodded.

  Much to my surprise, she pulled her shirt off over her head.

  She stood in front of me, wearing a pale pink bra and her leggings.

  In an instant, I was rock-hard.

  We exchanged shirts. She took my t-shirt, and I took her tunic to my laundry room.

  I took a deep breath while I poured a stain remover on her shirt and left it in the sink to soak.

  I wanted her so fucking bad. And she’d been half-undressed in my living room.

  I came back to the living room.

  Riley hadn’t put my shirt on yet.

  Shit.

  She looked at me, chewing her lower lip.

  I moved closer.

  She stayed where she was, tilting her head to look up at me.

  I put one hand on her hip, the other coming to rest on her cheek.

  She tilted her head up, lips parted.

  I couldn’t help myself.

  I kissed her.

  She rose on her toes, kissing me hungrily. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer.

  My phone chimed again.

  I groaned and pulled back from her. Another text from Sarah.

  Why couldn’t she take a hint?

  Riley frowned. “Is it…her?”

  “Sarah?” I shrugged, putting my phone on silent. “Yeah. But she needs to stop.”

  “Are you…I mean…she acts like you two are…”

  “Me and Sarah? God, no. No. She’s been trying to start something with me and won’t take no for an answer.”

  Riley lowered her gaze. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be the other woman.”

  I smiled and touched her cheek. “There’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing there. Sarah and I are just coworkers. She’s into me, and I’m definitely not into her.”

  She hesitated, then smiled. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  I kissed her again.

  She leaned into me. I groaned, reaching around her and undoing her bra. It came loose, and Riley shifted her arms, wiggling it off and letting it fall to the floor between us.

  I moved one hand down her body, cupping her breast in my hand. She was so warm, and her skin was so soft.