by Kendall Ryan
“It’s not that.” Her words were soft, and I knew she meant every last one of them.
“Good,” I said, “because it’s time for round two.”
After that, there were no words of protest. Instead, she wriggled closer to the edge of the sofa and parted her legs, making way for me to join her.
“No,” I said, sitting down in the space she’d just left. I took her hand and guided her closer. She dropped it to my hard length and stroked me with her tantalizingly soft palm. It was almost enough to make me forget what I’d wanted. Her sweet, tentative stroke on my needy, rock-hard flesh. But then I pictured her above me, gorgeous tits bouncing, mouth parted as she cried out, and I shook my head again.
“You’re going to ride me, baby. Fast or slow. It’s up to you. I just want to feel you come around my cock.”
Her breath caught, but again she made no sign of protest. Getting onto her knees, she made her way toward me and then straddled my lap, rolling her hips up and down in a slow, torturous rhythm. One inch. Then two. Then out. Three inches, then four, then out. On and on, just a little deeper each time, wetting me with her juices, swallowing me bit by bit—until finally she gripped my base and pushed me so deep inside her my eyes nearly crossed from the sheer molten heat. If she was interested in getting to the finish line quickly, she didn’t show it. Instead, she circled her arms around my neck and kept up her slow and steady pace, rising and falling slowly and pushing her breasts into my face with every stroke.
I cupped one in my hand, sucking a pink nipple until she gave me an approving squeeze and worked me faster, rewarding my tongue for its good work.
“You like that, baby,” I murmured before taking her other nipple into my mouth and rolling the tip of my tongue around its peak. “Show me how much you like it.”
Hell, did she ever. With her arms still circling my neck, she threw back her head and rolled her hips, taking just my throbbing head inside her as she dipped in short bursts and then longer, needier strokes, pounding over me. Slamming her hips down onto mine with a resounding slap. She was losing control—and fast. I gripped her ass, feeling the drag of her flesh against mine as she worked my shaft with her pussy.
“That’s it, baby,” I murmured, my voice husky with the need to come. “Let me feel you come again.”
My balls drew up, but I closed my eyes, sucking her nipple still harder and willing myself to hold out for her. Her walls quaked and shuddered, and then I couldn’t take it anymore. Grasping her hips firmly, I guided her up and down, impaling her with my cock in powerful thrusts until I was so deep inside her she ground out my name.
“Jackson, yes, Jackson, I’m going to—” Her words broke off, and she shook in my arms, her mouth falling open as she squeezed around me so tightly I couldn’t hold back anymore. I slammed her hips down on mine again as we came together in greedy, gasping thrusts. Hot liquid spurted forward in a rush as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me.
It was, hands down, the hottest sex of my life, and when she finally rolled from on top of me, I pulled off the condom with a sudden rush of disappointment. Not because the sex hadn’t been amazing.
It had.
It had been so mind-blowing that I was already wishing we’d taken it slower or could do it again. But she was already standing on shaking legs, gathering up her clothes, and getting ready to go.
It should’ve made me happy. Hell, this was living the dream. Hook up with superhot funny girl. Have the best sex of my life. Walk away, no hard feelings, no strings, no drama, no bullshit.
Instead, I was actively resisting the urge to drag her back down on top of me and ask if she wanted to stay.
Amateur move, man, and you know it.
That kind of shit was what got a guy like me saddled with a woman who thought she was your girlfriend and tried to get you to go to her sister’s wedding with her.
Not Piper, though. She was already dressed and slipping on her shoes.
“I… I should go. I’m just gonna get an Uber back to my car. But that was…um, thank you. That was exactly what the doctor ordered,” she murmured, her cheeks a charming shade of pink.
She might look innocent, but this was a girl who knew the drill.
Perfect.
So why did part of me wonder why she was so eager to get away?
Chapter Five
Piper
I had laid out my outfit the night before. Every last detail—my makeup, my jewelry—had all been planned to a T.
So why, then, did it all suddenly feel so wrong?
I stared into the mirror, wondering if the deep-crimson dress I wore hugged my curves a little too tightly or if the particular shade clashed with my auburn-colored hair. I’d opted for my glasses instead of contacts, and the thick, black frames I thought looked smart and trendy at the store now made me wonder if I looked more like Drew Carey than a sharp, capable professional.
Which, of course, was fine either way. I was going in for my first day of work, not planning a date.
My thoughts turned to my scorching-hot hookup from this past weekend.
And, damn, had it been hot.
Even now, when I should have been focusing on making a good impression and getting myself together, I found my mind drifting back to that night. No man had ever spoken to me that way—like I was the most desirable woman in the world. And the way he’d taken control of my body…like he knew better than I did how to make me feel good.
A shudder went through me, and I could feel my nipples go tight.
Shaking my head, I quickly yanked the red dress over my head and opted instead for the pair of nondescript black slacks on another hanger in front of me, pairing it with a sensible, white button-down shirt. I hooked my finger under the collar of a short, black jacket to match and called it good. True, the outfit made me look like a waiter, but it was just standard enough to be completely unnoticeable.
Perfect, polished, and professional. Just like I wanted to be.
Certainly nothing like the cheeky little tramp from the other night. My cheeks flushed again, and I forced thoughts of Jackson out of my mind one last time. It wasn’t like I’d ever see him again, so what was the point in obsessing about it?
With a deep breath, I checked the time and grabbed my purse from the table by the door before making my way out of my apartment and onto the busy city street. My apartment was in the business district, not far from my new office building, so walking it was a nice way to take in the beautiful spring weather. Less nice was the constant swarm of perpetually irritated, stressed-out people who raced around the streets in this part of the city during the early morning rush, but I was nothing if not adaptable.
I pulled my planner from the front pocket of my purse, glanced down at the address again, and turned the corner with my head held high. Here, in this sea of busy-looking people, I wanted to feel like I fit in. To feel like I was ready to start a career as the right-hand woman to one of the most successful real estate moguls in the city.
I was cool and confident and strong. I was even the kind of woman who could have a random fling with a guy and head into work on Monday with a clear head.
I was independent and totally badass.
With these mantras running through my head, I stepped inside the building and beelined for the elevators. Straightening my Buddy Holly glasses, I pressed the button and forced a smiled as the set of doors in front of me slid open.
With quick strides, I boarded the elevator and then closed my eyes and waited for the doors to clang shut again and carry me off to my fresh new start. Before they did, however, I heard the soft thump of feet against the floor, so I opened my eyes to greet the stranger who joined me.
When I opened my mouth, though, I found my throat had completely gone dry. Blood rushed to my head.
This could not be happening.
After all the good work I’d done to get him out of my head, there he was, standing right in front of me.
Jackson, my “date” from the othe
r night, selected his floor with the same cool confidence I’d felt only moments before. That, however, was long gone. In fact, it was so far gone I couldn’t seem to remember what it felt like anymore. My knees were rubber, and I wobbled where I stood, overcome by the powerful memory of exactly what had happened the last time this man had entered my life…and my vagina.
Hysterical laughter threatened to bubble from my lips, and I bit my bottom one, hard. Maybe if I didn’t make eye contact and just kept my trap shut, he wouldn’t notice me. After all, with my business suit and glasses, who knew? Superman seemed to get by playing Clark Kent without a problem.
He turned, though, and met my gaze with instant recognition. For a split second, I thought his face might have betrayed that same shock I knew had to be plainly displayed on mine, but then his features smoothed and he said coolly, “Piper, nice to see you. I didn’t realize you worked here.”
I shook my head. “I don’t. Or, you know, I didn’t. I’m just…” I swallowed, trying to regain my bearings. What was it about this guy that made all my words come out in fluent Idiot?
“Today is my first day,” I added lamely.
“Congratulations.” He nodded. “I’m sure you’ll like it here.”
“I’m sure,” I agreed.
For a long moment, neither of us said a word. Instead, we stared at each other, both apparently at a loss for what to say. In truth, I didn’t know if I ought to have apologized for leaving the way I had after our night together. And, if I was being even more painfully honest, deep, deep down, I was harboring a pathetic and ill-advised hope that he might want to ask me out again.
But no. He stood there, looking at me. Seeing through me and making me feel just as raw and exposed as he had that night in the bar…and later.
My cheeks burned, and I glanced at the floor as the elevator dinged and slowed to a stop. Five. I was going to fifteen. But then, if I got off here, I could catch the next elevator and be free of him.
“This is me,” I muttered and then clutched my purse a little tighter and scurried from the car as another woman took my place and nodded to Jackson.
“Mr. Dane,” she murmured, and my ears pricked up.
Eyes wide, I spun around, but the elevator doors were closing as my breath caught in my chest.
Mr. Dane?
As in the Mr. Dane?
The CEO and owner of this company?
Mr. Dane, who also happened to be my new boss?
There had to be some mistake. Maybe it was a family-run business and Jackson had a brother or father who was in charge. Yes, that had to be it.
Heart beating out of my chest, I pressed the elevator button again. When the next one arrived, I climbed in, joining a group of weary-eyed workers. Nobody bothered to greet me as I stepped on, and I followed their lead, too tied up into knots to speak anyway.
Still, as the elevator climbed floors and people stepped off to start their day, my knees weakened. I tried to convince myself that surely karma couldn’t be this cruel. Besides, a guy like Jackson couldn’t be the CEO of this company.
He had the cockiness for the job, for sure, but he wasn’t old enough. Guys like Mr. Dane—my boss—would have spent their entire lives building up an empire like this. A thirty-something guy could never manage such a feat. Not on this scale. No matter how cocky or good-looking he was.
The doors dinged, and I glanced at the numbers before stepping off and glancing around. The floor was filled with cubicles as far as the eye could see, and at the very end of the room was a huge office with wide, glass walls. The blinds of the room were closed, and I hitched my purse a little higher on my shoulder before starting for my destination.
As I walked, nobody in their cubicles turned to look at me. I focused on my mission, all the while doing my damnedest to convince myself that when I did knock on that door, Jackson would not be the man to answer it.
I inhaled deeply, lifted my hand, and knocked carefully, holding my breath as heavy footfalls sounded on the carpet. And then the door swung open to reveal him. My new boss. And the hottest fuck of my life.
Jackson Dane.
Just kill me now.
And he was staring at me in a way that left no doubt he was remembering every second of our night together.
Heat rose to my cheeks, and I glanced around him, hoping against hope that he’d merely been in the office talking to his superior. But I knew that wasn’t the case. Because in this office?
Jackson was the superior.
“I think there’s been a mistake,” I spluttered. “The HR department hired me and told me I’d be Mr. Dane’s new assistant, but I think they gave me the wrong person. Should I go to the office and—”
“There was no mistake,” he said with a clipped nod. “I’m in need of a new assistant, and it looks like the HR department picked you. What a coincidence.”
I shook my head. “The odds of that are—”
“Yes.” He looked so damn calm. In fact, he didn’t even seem surprised by this turn of events.
How could he do that? How could he pretend this wasn’t the weirdest, most off-putting thing that had ever happened in the history of time?
“I’m sorry. Umm, this is super awkward. I’ll just stop by HR and tell them to find someone else. This is clearly a bad idea.” I spun on my heel to head back toward the elevators, my heart still pounding.
Damn it all.
I’d needed this job. My savings were beginning to dwindle, and if I didn’t fix that soon, I was going to have to ask Hailey for money. And that would be a fate worse than death. If she thought she could boss me around now, she’d be insufferable if she also had me under her thumb financially.
Still, how could I work with a guy who looked at me the way Jackson did? Like I was the final course in the world’s most indulgent meal? How could I file and schedule and organize for a man when, every time I bent down, I knew he could imagine every last detail of what was happening beneath my slacks?
I couldn’t. It was wrong. But more than that—it was too tempting.
I took the first step of my walk of shame back to the elevator, when his deep voice rumbled.
“Piper, wait.” A large hand closed around my bicep and spun me around so fast I nearly stumbled.
Blinking, mouth agape as I struggled for air, I found myself staring into Jackson’s penetrating gaze. I shook my head. “Look, don’t feel bad. There is really no reason to drag this out and—”
“I’m not doing it because I feel bad.” He blew out a sigh and dragged a hand over his square jaw. “I looked at your résumé,” he said, preempting my question.
“Okay,” I said. “And?”
“I need you. You can’t go. I haven’t had a truly experienced assistant in months, and I desperately need one.” There wasn’t a hint of pleading in his voice, but I could tell he meant every word he said. “Look, the company is about to take on a major acquisition, and we’re going through a huge merger. I need help. I can’t wait for another assistant. Especially another one as qualified as you. If you can be professional, I can be professional. We’re two adults. I don’t see what happened between us being a problem.”
I blinked again.
Seriously? After all the panting and moaning and sweating and grinding and…everything else we’d done together? He wanted me to work side by side with him?
Even now, my throat was threatening to close at the thought.
Had it really meant so little to him…been so run-of-the-mill that he could see me and not be completely accosted by the memory of our time together, like I was?
Damn. Talk about a reality check.
“Please, Piper, I need the help and you need a job. Don’t walk away.”
I considered him for a long moment. The right decision was to leave, I’d known it from the second I’d seen him on the elevator. But instead my mouth made an executive decision because, just like the other night, I couldn’t seem to say no to this man.
“Fine, we’ll give it a
try,” I said, not believing I was actually going to stay.
“Excellent.” He offered me a clipped nod, looking, for all intents and purposes, like he’d never even considered another response out of me. The thought only solidified my new theory.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t say no to him. I was more sure than ever that it was a word he wasn’t used to hearing much from anyone.
“Let’s get started,” he said, gesturing toward his office.
His gaze lingered on me, studying me and seeing through me the way he had the last time I’d seen him. For a brief second, I saw a flash of that carnal heat I’d seen in his eyes when we’d first met.
And in the space of that one tiny fraction of a second?
I knew I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.
Chapter Six
Jackson
“The previous assistant left you a manual that you’ll find waiting for you on your desk. I’ll be in meetings all morning, so it should give you plenty of time to look over the materials and make sure you don’t have any questions.” I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, but she was too busy staring at the floor to bother looking at me.
Then again, she could have just been looking away in the interest of self-preservation. And after all, who could blame her? Even in the bellboy outfit she was wearing, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to pull her to me right then and there and rip her clothes off.
It had to be something chemical, something purely scientific that made me feel this way. Like my testosterone could sense her pheromones or something. Either that or the fact that she’d been the best damn lay I’d had in my life.
My groin ached at the memory even now, and God only knew how the next few days might start to wear away at my resolve. If she bent over to file something in front of me and her skirt was short enough…
I flexed my jaw, fighting the urge to crowd her against the wall and bury my face between those full, round tits she was working so hard to hide behind the shapeless shirt and jacket.
