by Kylie Walker
“You look good in it.” Kimberly grinned.
“That is pretty much everything in a nutshell,” she told her. Kim held the door open and Angela got up and followed her back to her office. She sat in the leather chair opposite of Kimberly.
Pulling out two files from a large cabinet against the wall, Kimberly said, “These will be your first two clients. This one will be worked on by both of us. Think of it as a little hand holding with the boss while you get adjusted to the routine.” She smiled and flipped open the folder. “This client, McAllister Stock Cars, needs a little more TLC than the rest. They spend a ridiculous amount of money with our agency during this time of the season. “The other is a smaller cosmetic firm called “Candy Cosmetics.” Kimberly slid the files towards her. “I have a memo in each file describing what needs to be done with each client accordingly for this coming week. You can take them back to your office and go through them,” she told her.
Angela picked up the files and got up to head out the door. Just as she was about to leave Kimberly said. “Angela.”
“Yes?” she turned towards her new boss.
“You’re going to be fine. Just breathe and take one step at a time. We are all here to help you adjust.” Kimberly gave her a soft smile.
“Thank you Kimberly, I really appreciate that.” Angela turned around and walked out the door closing it behind her.
Chapter 4
Stretching back in her leather chair Angela looked out the paned window overlooking the City of Angels. Her thoughts and emotions were still all bound up together. Everything was happening so quickly and it overwhelmed her. She was snapped back to reality by the sound of her secretary saying, “Ms. Black,” and poking her head in the door. Marg looked like a school teacher with her mid-length graying hair and quiet demeanor. Her eyes held maturity and wisdom, Angela thought.
“Yes, Marg. Come in, please.” Angela motioned her in. “Please call me Angela.”
She stood up and Marg smiled at her and passed her a large binder. “Here is the procedure manual you requested. Did you need anything else before I leave for the day?”
“No, this is it. Thank you Marg. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Angela smiled at her and she glanced at the clock on the wall. Shit, she thought. It was already 5:20 pm and Joanne was meeting her downstairs in ten minutes to pick her up for supper. Throwing the binder into her brown leather satchel, she hurried downstairs to the lobby.
Just as she reached for the lobby door it opened. Angela’s eyes trailed the muscular arm and hand that held it open for her. Simultaneously, she heard a familiar, deep husky voice say, “After you.” It was Steve.
Angela turned and looked up into his face. How the hell did he know I worked here?
“Thank you,” was all she said as she pushed past him and walked out of the building onto the sidewalk that ran along Wilshire Boulevard. She looked at her watch and saw that it said, five thirty-five. She looked up and down both sides of the street. Still no Joanne, just strangers walking past her in a hurry. No one made eye-contact or smiled. They all seemed to be in a hurry.
“Meeting someone?”
God, she loved that voice. But, what the hell is he doing here? “Yes, as a matter of fact I am, she said.” She had to hold her hand up to block out the sun, as she looked up at him.
The sun reflected off his aviator sunglasses and his slick brown hair was neatly combed back. She tried not to stare but her eyes fell to his chest. She couldn’t help but notice his collar bone that looked like it had been chiseled to precision leading to the partial tattoo that made it half way up his neck. Even under his black suit jacket and white dress shirt she could see his upper body was ripped throughout.
“What are you doing here? Are you following me?” She blurt out as she tried to contain the butterflies slowly building in her stomach. Steve laughed and stared into the traffic.
“I just finished up some business.”
“You work here?” She looked at him, puzzled.
“Something like that,” he said. The left corner of his mouth curled up into a sly half smile revealing his sexy dimple.
Jesus he was gorgeous she thought.
“Angela!” She turned her head to see Joanne walking towards her.
She suddenly felt his lips on her ear again. He reached down and pushed back a long lock of her black hair and he whispered; “Well now at least I can put a name to the beautiful mystery woman.”
She could smell the scent of his cologne as she felt his lips brush her neck and pull away. He grabbed her hand then and placed a light kiss against it. “Until we meet again Angela,” he said, flashing her a wicked smile. He let go of her hand, turned and walked away.
Angela felt weak in the knees and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t fathom why this man had such an effect on her. Maybe it was because it had just been so long since she’d felt anything remotely close to physical attraction. She turned towards Joanne and tried to hide how flustered she was.
“Hey, you ready to go?” She looked at Jo quickly before her head snapped back to take another quick glance at Steve but he was already gone.
“Was that who I think it was?” Joanne smirked.
“Yes it was. What are the chances? Over four million people in Los Angeles and I bump into him four days later.” Angela rolled her eyes and flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder.
“He has you all flustered, doesn’t he?” Jo gave her a nudge as she hailed a cab.
“No he doesn’t!” Angela tried to feign an angry look at her friend. Joanne knew her well enough to know that she was full of shit.
***
“So you know I can read your bullshit a mile away right?” Joanne raised her eyebrows at her from across the table. “You’re a book babe, so easy to read.”
Angela speared her salmon with her fork trying to figure out what to say. “Jesus Joanne. I don’t understand why the hell I’m so attracted to him. I need a little help here please.” Angela’s look pleaded with her friend. Once again, her emotions were all over the place. Angela dropped her folk into her plate, her hands cupped her face as the tears pooled in her eyes and spilled over like a fountain.
“Hey, it’s ok Ang,” Jo said softly getting up and sitting in the chair beside her. She rubbed the small of her back. “You have been through so much and things are happening quickly. I’m sure it’s confusing.” She lowered her head to try and look at Angela’s face.
“You have no idea Joanne. I feel like a cheat for God’s sake,” She almost laughed and wiped her tears away. “It’s only been seven months since Blake’s been gone. I’m supposed to be mourning him, not flirting with strange men.” Angela reached for a napkin lying on the table.
“Come on Angela,” Joanne said in a stern voice, “I honestly think you have finished your mourning honey. You were by his side for 6 months the entire time he was sick and then you tucked yourself away in a hole for another 6 months after he passed. You can’t keep doing this.” Joanne wiped a tear from her cheek with her thumb. “It will break you.”
Joanne slipped her finger under Angela’s chin and lifted her face to hers. Looking into her large brown eyes and with empathy in her voice, she said, “Blake would be devastated if he saw you like this. He would want you to move on with your life, to be happy.”
Angela wrapped her arms around Joanne, hanging onto her for dear life. “I miss him so much Jo. It hurts so damn much.” She swallowed back more tears.
“I know you do honey.” Joanne stroked her hair softly. “It’s going to take time. Not to forget him but to let him go. You have to hold on to all the great memories that you and Blake shared, not the memories of him being sick.” Taking in a deep breath Angela let her friend go and sat up in her seat trying to compose herself.
“Angela, this is your chance to move on with a new life. You’re in a new city and you have a new job. Blake would be seriously kicking your ass right now.” Joanne said with a laugh. Angela smiled and took a sip of her vino.
“Now it’s time to let the old Angela I know back out of the closet. I want to see the strong independent woman that speaks her mind, the one that is always in control.” Joanne tipped her glass to Angela and took a sip.
With a smile, Angela tipped her glass back at Joanne and took a drink. “You know Thomas overheard our conversation about our mystery man. He insinuated that I was interested and thought it was too quick in his opinion.”
“Fuck Thomas and what he thinks. Don’t get me wrong. I love the guy and all but seriously? He is thinking with his dick.” Joanne’s face showed disapproval.
Angela almost spit her drink on the table. Grabbing a napkin and wiping her mouth she asked, “What the hell does that mean?” Angela looked shocked.
“I’ve noticed the way his eyes lust after your body.” Joanne winked and took another bite of her salad.
“Ok, have you stopped taking your meds?” Angela asked her, laughing.
“See there’s the Angela I remember and yes I am taking my meds. All jokes aside, I think he has a lot more intentions than just being the good friend.”
“My God, you’ve gone off the deep end. Thomas has really been there for me. I can’t even imagine my situation if he had not been there. He’s like a brother to me and I’m sure he feels the same about me.” Angela waved her hand like she was blowing off the conversation.
“Whatever Ang; just laying it out like I see it. Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you, book off the 4th of July weekend.”
“Why?”
“My girlfriend Ana that you met at the club is throwing a party at her house in Long Beach. You have to come.” Joanne gave her a pleading look.
“I don’t see why not. That sounds like fun,” Angela smiled.
They enjoyed the rest of their meal and had another glass of wine while Angela filled Joanne in on her first day on the job. The entire time Angela had to try and keep her mind from wandering back to Steve’s mouth. The way her name “ANGELA” rolled off of his lips in that deep, sultry voice. She wasn’t sure if it was right or not, but she knew that she wanted to hear it again.
Chapter 5
Angela’s first week at work was a whirlwind. She faithfully studied their procedure manual each night when she got home. Candy Cosmetics was a pretty simple client consisting mostly of branding their new logo with photo shoots and magazine articles featuring their line and new product labels.
“It’s ready Angela,” Thomas shouted from the kitchen.
“It smells delicious. Chicken parm?” She asked looking at the plate.
“You got it. The sauce has my secret ingredient in it, so don’t ask. I’m not sharing.” He smiled and bumped her with his hip.
“You’re a goof!” she laughed, sitting down at the table.
“So what do you think of Lyons?” he asked taking a swig of his beer.
“I love it there. Kimberly is amazing and the people are so nice. She only gave me two clients to work on for now until I get used to the routine.”
“I knew you would fit right in,” he said watching her take a bite of the food. “Hey, I meant to ask. A friend of mine is having a grand opening for his new restaurant on Friday. I told him I would show up for lunch. It’s just down the street from our work. Want to come so I don’t have to eat alone?” he asked her while digging into his own food.
“Sure, what time?”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby at one pm,” he told her.
***
It was Friday and the weekend was almost here. The morning heat was already seventy-six degrees. Angela walked down the hallway to her office and when she was almost there she noticed Marg putting flowers into a vase.
“Those are beautiful Marg,” she said, picking up a long-stemmed lily. She brought it to her nose and smelled it. “Mm, passion fruit is my favorite,” She said with a smile as she placed it back in the vase.
“They’re from my husband. He’s a romantic at heart,” she said. “He sends me flowers once a month.” Marg had a proud look as she rearranged them.
“That is so sweet,” Angela said as she opened the door to her office.
“I put all your messages on your desk Angela.”
“Great, thank you Marg,” she went inside and shut the door behind her.
When she got to her desk, she pulled out the McAllister Stock Car file. She knew that she only had a few hours to finish up plans for this client. She was expected to do a full presentation at 2:00 pm in front of Kimberly and both partners.
It was almost 12:30 pm when she took one last look at the slides she had just finished in power point. Happy with the results she opened up her word document and pressed the enter button on her keyword to print out a memo. When she looked at the printer she saw the red light was flashing. Shit. Out of paper. She got up and walked out of her office.
She walked to the end of the hall and into the storage room. The door shut behind her. Eyeing the shelves, she could see everything but blank white paper. She walked to the back of the room and found the bundles of paper way up on a top shelf.
Reaching up to grab a bundle she heard the lock on the door snap. Just as she tried to turn around, she felt a stranger’s body pressing into hers. “Hello Angela.” He whispered into her ear slowly tracing his lips down her neck gripping her waist with both hands. That deep sexy voice again. She knew it was Steve. She could feel the heat of his body press into hers from behind as he pulled her tighter.
“Don’t turn around.” He said low and softly, his mouth planting slow sensual kisses on her neck. His lips made her feel weak in the knees. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back almost involuntary. His hand ran down the side of her thigh finding the hem of her skirt and then tracing her inner thigh on the way back up underneath.
Angela’s heart skipped a beat, while her body trembled with excitement under his control. He grazed the outside of her panties with his fingers feeling the wetness through the cotton. “Mm, you’re so wet.” He growled as he nipped at her ear lobe. He slipped a finger inside of her and felt the juices. With her eyes closed she arched her back and let out a soft moan. She couldn’t control herself. Her body wanted this while her mind screamed, “No!”
“You’re so tight.” His mouth trailed her neck as he pulled out his finger and began rubbing her clit. Angela could feel his hard length growing against her back side. Steve moved his hips against her ass as he circled her throbbing nub faster. He slid a finger deep inside of her tight walls forcing her hands to grip the shelving in front of her for support. She let out a moan filled with the kind of insurmountable pleasure that she hadn’t felt in so long. Her hips swayed back and forth.
“Jesus.” She whispered as she bit down on her lower lip. He pressed his fingers deeper inside of her, stroking her walls while his other hand wrapped around her breast and fondled her nipple through her blouse. His lips crashed into her neck taking light sucks as an orgasm ripped through her and she let out a soft moan. Her body shook with convulsions of pleasure as her hands gripped the shelf harder. She stood there for a moment breathing heavily before turning around to look at his face. He had his fingers in his mouth, slowly sucking them and then pulling them out as the corner of his mouth turned into a sly grin. “You taste so fucking good Angela.” His voice was low and deep and his grey blue eyes traced her body, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
His seductive voice sent shivers down Angela’s body as she tried to speak. Before she could get the words out, he held a finger up to her lips. “Shh,” he said. His other hand slipped down slowly unbuttoning her blouse. When he’d gotten it open to her waist he gently pulled a breast out of her bra. Moving in like she was his prey, he took it into his mouth. He softly sucked and teased her nipple with his tongue. Her hands landed on the back of his head and her fingers entwined in his hair. “Jesus Christ,” she cried out. Suddenly he pulled back, pulling her bra and blouse back over her breast as quickly as he had pulled it out.
“You’re like a fucking d
rug that I can’t get enough of,” he said. Angela stood there in total shock with her body still vibrating from what just happened. He slid his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her ear to his lips. “Until next time Angela.” He flashed her a smile and walked out the door.
Angela leaned against the shelf trying to collect herself. What the fuck just happened? And why the hell didn’t you stop him! Angry with herself, she tugged at her skirt to straighten it, then button up her blouse and lightly fingered her long locks. Her body felt like someone had hooked her up to a defibrillation machine. She could still feel the ripples of excitement and pleasure coursing through her. Wiping her lips with her thumb she gave her body a shake and headed for the door.
Back in her office she looked at the clock. 1:20 pm. God damn it. She was supposed to have lunch with Thomas at one p.m. Grabbing her purse she ran out of her office and stepped into the elevator. Scanning the lobby she couldn’t see him anywhere. She pulled out her phone and saw that Thomas had tried to text her. “Where are you? I’m downstairs waiting.”
She texted him back. “I’m so sorry Thomas. I got held up and am doing a presentation at two p.m. with a new client. Forgive me?”
Angela was pissed at herself as she walked back to the elevator. How could she let this complete stranger seduce her? She made it back to her office and stood at the window watching people pass on the street below. Emotions were coursing through her like a storm hitting the water. She was annoyed with this stranger Steve, but also uncontrollably attracted to him in ways she couldn’t explain. She was deep in thought when she heard her office door open.
“Are you almost ready Angela? I’ll walk down with you.” Kimberly was in the doorway.
“Yes I have everything right here.” Angela grabbed the file and USB off her desk and followed Kimberly out of her office. They made their way down to the conference room. There was a very large cherry wood table in the center of the room with black leather chairs surrounding it. There were already six other people waiting when they arrived.
