by M. S. Parker
Once they’d all piled into their vehicles, I started toward my car. Before I could climb in, however, a familiar car appeared in the drive, going around the trucks as they pulled out.
Dash was already frowning when he got out of his car.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, ignoring the flutter in my belly.
“I forgot some paperwork I needed.”
“Oh.” Brushing my hair back from my face, I tried to smile casually. It wobbled a bit but fell almost immediately. He looked…intense. And it didn’t explain why he’d stopped here instead of going around to the main house. “Too bad I don’t have a key. I could have picked it up.”
“I didn’t know you were here alone half the day taking a delivery.” He came toward me, frown twisting into a scowl. “Why didn’t you tell me you were having furniture delivered? I would have stayed here with you.”
“Ah…” My mind blanked at his strange behavior, and for a few seconds, I had no response. “Why would I need somebody to stay with me? It was a furniture delivery.”
“And what if they’d decided they wanted to do more than deliver furniture?” he snapped.
Tucking my tongue inside my cheek, I tried to decide if I wanted to be annoyed or just amused. I felt a mix of both, but I didn’t want to argue all day, so I chose to be honest but couch it in dry humor.
“I’m almost certain a high-end furniture store like the one I bought from can afford to do decent background checks.” Resting one hand on a cocked hip, I studied him. “This knight gallant act is cute, but it’s a bit old-fashioned. I’m a big girl.”
“Those were four men.”
“Wow. Really? I’m glad you counted. I have trouble doing that.” My natural sarcasm couldn’t be held in any longer. “Now that we’ve got a headcount for the people who delivered and set up my furniture, I need to get going. I’m already running late.”
“You work for me.” He glowered down at me.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” I gave him a brilliant smile and turned to my car.
“You rent property from me.”
Instead of turning to face him, I reached for the door handle.
A broad arm came over my shoulder, stopping me.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” I spun around and glared up at him.
“Your safety, partly, is my responsibility.” He jutted his chin out. “I don’t want deliveries made to my property without my prior knowledge.”
Narrowing my eyes, I said, “That’s ridiculous.”
“No. It’s common sense. Give me your damn phone.”
“I…what?”
He held out his hand. “I’m going to put my personal number in it.”
He was serious. I almost told him to go fuck himself.
Then, abruptly, I gave him a sweet smile. “Okay. Of course. After all, you’re the boss.”
He tapped in his contact information, then handed my phone back. He looked mollified, but not exactly happy. Still, he left and let me get on my way, which was all that mattered. I had lunch to get, work to do...and a few new things simmering in the back of my mind.
By the time I got to the office, I managed to order Chinese for dinner that night, or rather closer to a midnight snack since it was supposed to be coming at eleven. I also ordered myself flowers, next day delivery, to my office. I ordered pizza for the following night for another midnight snack.
As per Dash’s instructions, I’d text him about the flowers in the morning.
I’d text him about the food fifteen minutes before the food was delivered.
And when I had five minutes, I was going to schedule a grocery delivery and order my meals for every day next week – to be delivered to the office and my home.
He’d get a call or text over each fucking one.
My phone rang.
It was Saturday morning, and I was enjoying a bagel with cream cheese and coffee on my balcony.
I’d just had half a dozen bagels delivered, and I’d texted Dash about their arrival thirty minutes in advance. It was now eight-thirty, and I hoped I’d woken him.
My phone rang just as I went to take another bite.
It was Dash.
Grinning, I picked it up. “Hello?”
“I don’t care that you had flowers delivered to the office, Chinese food or pizza delivered, or bagels,” he snapped. “You know that’s not what I was talking about.”
“So you don’t think a random pizza delivery guy could pose a threat?” I asked. Putting the bagel down, I licked a bit of cream cheese from my thumb and reached for my coffee.
He didn’t answer.
“You sound really cranky.”
“You woke me up last night to tell me about your pizza delivery. And then this morning to tell me about your bagel delivery.”
“It was eight hours between calls,” I said innocently.
He hung up.
I laughed and settled back to enjoy the sun. And my bagel.
Wearing a pair of tennis shoes and workout clothes, I headed out the back door.
I needed to finish up some shopping, but I didn’t quite feel like it. I almost called my parents to ask if they’d arrange for the furniture I’d put in storage to be shipped out here, but none of it really seemed to fit on this side of the country. Maybe I was too picky, but I wanted everything to be right. Besides, nothing I left behind had any sentimental value.
The new job constantly had me sticking to an agenda of sorts, always looking toward the next deadline. I needed to just…float a bit. Maybe later, I’d go out and look at furniture.
This place really was perfection. It was far enough back from the beach that there was more than just sand and rock to the landscaping, and it gave away to the terrain of the waterfront naturally. Small gardens dotted the property, and I found myself admiring one made of rocks, wishing I’d brought a book so I could just sit and enjoy.
I was about to go back and get one when a noise caught my ear.
Moving to the steep edge that overlooked one of the lower gardens, I peeked down...and my heart lodged in my throat.
I leaned against a light post, tucking myself behind it without really thinking about it.
I didn’t want him to see me and stop.
I didn’t want him to stop, period.
Dash was stripped down to the waist, hands up, arms stretched out, moving in a slow, graceful pattern. Belatedly, I realized it was some form of kung fu or tai chi. I didn’t need to know the name to know it was beautiful.
That he was beautiful.
Biting my lip, I watched as skin stretched over taut muscle, as his body moved and flowed with indescribable grace. Who would have thought he’d have that kind of power tucked away under those sleek suits?
I’d known he had an amazing body, and how strong he was, but this was something new. New and completely arousing.
He shifted, bringing one elbow in while lifting his knee. He pivoted and shifted his stance, body bent as he swooped low, then straightened. One movement flowed into another, a compelling reminder of what his body could accomplish.
My pussy throbbed even as my skin flushed. I’d enjoyed sex in the past, and there had been times when I wanted it more than others, but it’d never been a preoccupation. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Okay, not about sex in general, but the more time that passed since Dash and I were together, the more I wanted him.
Ever since that day in his office, he’d kept everything between us on a level so professional, I could almost believe I’d imagined the heat between us. I couldn’t understand how he held himself so cool. I knew he wanted me. I’d felt it. Tasted it.
I just needed to make him admit it.
My breathing hitched as the prospect raced through my mind. Before I could think better of it, I gave in to my impulsive nature and slid my hand under the waistband of my pants. I sucked in a breath as my fingers brushed over my clit, little tingles of electricity racing through me.
My eyes wanted to close
, to give in to the sensations the motion of my fingers created, but my desire to keep watching him was stronger. I had a vivid imagination, so it wasn’t difficult to pretend that it was Dash’s touch heating me up, his fingers winding me up.
He spun abruptly, in a move that seemed like a blur compared to the slow, sinuous display. The next sequence continued at the rapid pace, each movement made with the sort of purpose and power that made my insides pulse. He was so focused, so deliberate, and I remembered what it was like to be on the receiving end of all that intensity.
I’d felt those muscles under my palms, met his strength with my own. The scent and taste of him was heavy on my tongue. A climax was building inside me, but despite the pleasure I felt, what I knew was coming, I could still tell that something was missing.
As I came with a muffled groan, I couldn’t deny that the missing piece was him...and I had a bad feeling that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.
25
Dash
It had been a long time since I’d enjoyed Christmas.
A long time since I’d enjoyed a Christmas party.
Even before Layla died, things had been rough for a while, and then she was…gone.
The relationship I had with my parents was...well, strained at best. My dad was currently married to his fifth wife. My mom had remarried when I was a kid, and since I’d sort of hampered the lifestyle she decided she wanted, she turned me over to my father.
They’d been there when Layla passed away, and they’d never been abusive or neglectful. They’d just always been more interested in their own lives than being an active part of mine.
I knew I’d get an invite to whatever dinners they might have for the holidays, but I’d long since lost interest in having my mother try to pair me up with somebody she thought would reflect well on her. Dad didn’t try that approach, but it wasn’t any better listening to him talk about his golden days while ignoring my current stepmother flirting with me. Considering she was just a year older than me, it wasn’t really a shock.
No, holidays weren’t happy family time for me.
But I did always try to spend some time with Didi, and we’d kept that up even after she and Christal had gotten together. Now that they were living together, however, I hadn’t planned on approaching them to make plans. I would work at home and hope that ignoring the holiday completely this year might make things easier.
Then Didi, Piety, and Astra had tag teamed me over lunch. I hadn’t even been sitting down with Didi for five minutes when the other guests arrived. Of course, Didi had invited both Astra and Piety, so it hadn’t been like I could have accused her of trying to set me up on a date or anything.
Before I could excuse myself, they started talking about a Christmas party. When I’d told them there was no time to plan it, Astra had brushed it off and assured me that she could plan a party in no time. She’d eaten a strawberry right after the words had left her lips.
And my brain turned to mush.
I was convinced that was why I was now standing in the corner of the recreational area that would soon be open to clients of the center. At the moment, it was open to the employees and bedecked with decorations while music played in the background, inviting people to rock around the Christmas tree.
Said Christmas tree was a potted pine tree that nearly touched the roof.
I didn’t know where Astra had found a tree that size with so little time left before the big day, but she had. She’d also texted me about the damn delivery. I had to admit, after I’d gotten over nearly choking on my water, I thought it was actually quite funny.
It played through my mind for the millionth time.
Oh. Oh, my. Dashiell.
Then…
Dash, it’s…it’s so big.
A few seconds later, came the next one.
It’s so big, I’m not sure it will fit.
My face had damn near overheated at that, and I was glad I’d taken to reading her delivery texts – and any other text – in private. She seemed to be making a game of it, but when I confronted her about it, she just stared at me with big, innocent eyes.
The final text had revealed the it was a tree.
But I’d figured that out already because my assistant burst into my office, laughing. “The tree is here, and we don’t think it will fit.”
Eying it now, I sipped my ice water and tried to gauge how long I had to stay before I could leave without being considered an asshole. Frankly, if it was too long, I didn’t care if I came off as an asshole or not. What was the point of being the boss if I couldn’t skip the company Christmas party?
I needed to get out of there…and away from Astra.
She was wearing flirty, vivid red that made her skin glow and invited touch. The old-fashioned style dress had thin straps that dipped down in a vee above her breasts, fitting to her torso like it had been made just for her before flaring out in a wide skirt. The petticoat she wore underneath had clearly been meant to show, and I was having crazed fantasies of locking her in my office to see what else she was wearing under all that frilly fuss.
I’d never been so desperate to touch a woman in my life.
I’d never been so convinced it would be a bad idea.
I had to stay away from her and focus on the clinic. It’d consumed me for what felt like a lifetime, ever since I finally pulled myself out of the pit of grief that had consumed me. This place was how I pulled myself out. I had to keep my focus. Losing it now would be a disaster.
Resolved, I didn’t let myself seek her out. I kept looking over the crowd and decided it hadn’t been a bad idea to let them plan the party. Everybody had worked hard to get things together. They had the next few days between now and Christmas off, then New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. After that, we were going to hit the road running.
This was downtime, a chance for them to unwind and relax.
And kiss–
My gut processed what I was seeing before the rest of me did.
I’d already shoved off the wall and started forward before any conscious part of my brain had cued into what had happened – what was happening.
Turk had caught Astra under the glittering disco ball strung up in the center of the room. Dangling from the very bottom of that ball was a sprig of mistletoe.
And he was kissing her.
Turk was kissing Astra.
I was going to beat the shit out of him.
“Merry Christmas!” A smiling man stepped into my path, then frowned. “You look kind of upset there. Is everything okay, boss?”
Boss.
Closing my eyes, I sucked in air. I didn’t expel it right away, or in a rush. Rather, I held it for a few more seconds, then looked down, breathing out in a slow, controlled manner as my brain began to clear.
It was official.
Astra Traore had pushed me over the limit.
I’d been a few steps from grabbing her away from a guy she clearly didn’t mind kissing. A guy she could have pushed away at any moment. She wasn’t alone somewhere with a man who’d overpowered her. She didn’t need me to come to her rescue.
I could see her over the shoulder of the man who’d stepped in front of me. I recognized him now. Sean. He worked with Astra. And he had a glint in his eyes that made me wonder if he didn’t know exactly what I was thinking.
That only added to the embarrassment of the whole thing.
“I’m fine, Sean. Thanks. Hope you’re enjoying yourself.” Then I nodded and cut around him. I had to get the hell out of here.
I didn’t let myself look over toward Astra again.
I couldn’t risk it.
If I saw her even close to kissing that jackass Turk again, I didn’t know what I’d do. But it would probably involve dragging her out of the party, back to my office and yelling. The last time that happened, I’d put my hands on her, and only a phone call had kept us from going too far.
I doubted there’d be phone calls now.
Five hours later
, I was in bed.
Sleep wasn’t coming easily, but that was because I kept seeing Astra as she laughed up into Turk’s face right before he bent his head to kiss her.
That mouth…
I wanted that mouth again.
Just thinking about it was enough to have my dick harden, and I’d been doing more than simply thinking about her mouth for the past few minutes. My dick was more than a little hard too.
Kicking the covers off, I closed my eyes and wrapped my hand around my aching cock.
This was far from the first time I’d jacked off to a mental image of her, but the need inside me was rising to a frantic, almost overwhelming need and it was bordering on painful to just sit there and stroke off. Painful, but sweet at the same time, because my lust-hazed brain had her sitting on top of me, her hands on my chest, her hips moving against mine as she rode me.
She was frantic too. Her need met mine, and I knew I wasn’t alone.
I pumped harder, quicker, my mind spinning from one scenario to the next. Her in that red dress, bent over my desk. Skirt and the petticoat pushed up, her hips in my hands as I drove inside her. She was moaning and whimpering, “It’s so big…it won’t fit…”
My cock pulsed, throbbed.
Kneeling on the floor of my office, wearing one of those skinny skirts she loved so much, blouse open. No bra to keep those amazing tits restrained. Her mouth wrapped around my dick as my fingers threaded through her hair, guiding her, showing her just how deep she could take it.
I came, hard and fast, semen jetting up to spill across my belly.
Panting, I laid there in a daze.
After I managed to catch my breath, I grabbed the sheet and used it to wipe the mess from my stomach. Then, sighing, I jerked the top sheet off the bed and got up to dump it into the laundry basket.
When I slid back into bed a few minutes later, my bones felt like lead. Rolling onto my side, I shoved my face into my pillow.
Maybe now, I could sleep.
Jerking upright, I looked around.
Something wasn’t right.
