Game Changer

by Rene Folsom

  “I can do it anywhere. I’ll probably go home.” I shrugged, trying so hard not to show my disappointment. Sometimes, adults just wanted to forego the whole responsibility act and play games.

  “Well, why don’t you bring your laptop up to my office then? I’ll give you a tour, then you can sit and work in peace while I get all the boring corporate shit out of the way.”

  Before I had a chance to answer, Liam reached over me and showed the parking attendant a badge of some sort, asking for a temporary pass for my car. Being swallowed by darkness, I followed his finger points as he directed me where to go.

  “I didn’t say yes, Liam,” I said, bringing attention to the fact he was just assuming I’d stay.

  “I know. If anything, I was figuring you could park long enough for us to make out a little,” he answered with a wink, pointing me to a spot next to his Jeep. A light chest slap had him laughing.

  “All men are the same. Just want to get in a chick’s pants.” An over-dramatic eye roll finished off the very true statement.

  “There you go with the gender stereotypes again. I could say the same about women…” Trailing off, he turned to me with a serious look on his face, leaning in to make sure he had my full attention. Gripping the steering wheel, I tried desperately to control myself—and my hands. His hand reached out, cupping my cheek as he stared into my eyes. “Before I met you, I thought the only thing women wanted from me was money, or to get their foot in the door with my company.”

  The sadness in his eyes as he said those words made me realize just how true he thought them to be. How in the world could a woman want nothing more than money or a job from this magnificent geeky man?

  I opened my mouth to say something, tell him he was more than just a walking bank account, but my words were cut off by his lips landing on mine, devouring me and all the jumbled thoughts swimming in my head.

  He sure knew how to dazzle a girl.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Liam: Corporate Teasers

  God, she tasted amazing. I’d stay here all day lip locked with the girl if I could, but after glancing at my watch, I knew I needed to get back upstairs before Thad sent a search party after me.

  Pulling away, I was fascinated by the way her eyes lazily opened to look at me, her gaze filled with nothing but lust.

  “You coming up?” I asked, hoping she’d say yes just so I could have her on my arm for a bit longer.

  “You’re such a fucking tease,” she cursed in response. “Kiss a girl like that and then expect her to have her wits about her? Evil.” She continued her rant while climbing out of her little sedan and grabbing her stuff from the backseat.

  “So, I get to hold you hostage for a while?” I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my chest as I watched her attempt to act all ferocious while hiking her laptop case up on her shoulder while standing behind the car. She didn’t answer. Instead, she stood there, tapping her foot. “Guess that’s a yes,” I said with another chuckle, the slam of the car door echoing off the barren walls of the garage.

  She seemed to lose all the fight she had in her as I stepped closer and took her laptop case from her shoulder, offering to carry it. In all honesty, I expected her to freak out with some sort of squawk about how girls could carry shit too. But instead, I got one of the sweetest smiles. Damn woman was going to distract the hell out of me. Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to bring her into work.

  Walking toward the elevator, I hesitated. I really didn’t want a repeat of yesterday. At the same time, I didn’t want to force her to climb twelve flights of stairs all because I was too much of a pussy to ride the elevator.

  “You okay?” she asked, obviously noticing my reluctance.

  “Yep,” I said, popping the P and plastering a fake smile across my face, forcing myself to remain collected as I allowed her to step through the small opening and into the confined space. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as the doors slid shut, trapping us inside.

  I counted the floors, and the amount of breaths I took between each, focusing on nothing more than making it to our destination without becoming imprisoned again. Somewhere around the eighth floor, a soft, chilly hand touched my cheek, startling me from my uber-strong concentration.

  “Breathe, Liam,” she whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the opposite cheek. And I did. I focused on breathing… not just my own, but hers as well. The feel of her breath on my skin was intoxicating, and definitely a great way to ease my mind.

  Before I knew it, we were stopping, the elevator coming to a jolting halt on the twelfth floor. I didn’t waste any time ushering her out, all while noticing her eyes never left me. She was examining me, probably wondering what the hell got into me.

  “You’re claustrophobic,” she whispered shortly after we entered the nZone lobby. Why the damn company executives had to insist on the top floor of this office building was beyond me.

  “Just a little,” I admitted, exhaling and attempting to slow my heart. “My friend and I managed to get our asses stuck in that damn elevator for more than an hour yesterday. I’m not quite over it yet.”

  She just nodded, obviously realizing I didn’t want to talk about it… not yet anyway.

  “Oh, speaking of my friend, I have to warn you about him. Thad works for me, and he’s a bit of an asshole. Don’t listen to a word he says,” I warned, winking and finally feeling like myself again as we walked past the reception desk.

  I took the time to introduce Maci to the girls up front, unsure of exactly what I should call her. I settled for friend, figuring it wouldn’t be offensive or presumptuous. Considering we were sleeping together, friend was an understatement, and I learned soon after the introductions were over that Maci felt the same way.

  “Friend?” she whispered as we walked away. “That’s all I am to you? A friend?” She put air-quotes around the word friend and wrinkled her nose like it was a dirty thing to say.

  I shrugged. What was I supposed to say? Sorry, I froze? I didn’t want her to know just how much she intimidated me, so I tried to think of a quick-witted joke to throw back at her.

  “Would you rather we be enemies? I call boss.” My joke earned me a slap to the arm while we walked down the hallway to my office. Laughing, I pointed out several things to her along the way, showing her the boring meeting centers and the non-exciting corporate crap. “And later, I’ll show you the game rooms where we do most of our testing,” I said, pushing my office doors open for her to walk in.

  Her pace was slow, taking each step with caution, as she took it all in. My office was one of the best, set in the corner of the building with nothing but windows spanning two of the four walls.

  “Oh. My. God,” she whispered, setting her things down on the couch against the nearest wall. “This view is absolutely breathtaking, Liam.”

  She wasn’t exaggerating either. I considered my office to have the best view in all of Tampa. Looking out over in the distance, we were able to see the rest of the city with a hint of Hillsborough and McKay Bay in the distance.

  “Well, feel free to enjoy it… and make yourself at home. I don’t think this boring corporate stuff will take me long,” I explained as I made my way over to a mini fridge in the corner and pulled out two waters.

  Maci had made her way over toward one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, placing her hand on the glass and just staring out into the distance. With both bottles in my hands, I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, dangling the water in front of her and placing a soft kiss against her neck.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, taking one bottle from my hands and touching my arm with the other. “This’ll be perfect.”

  “Perfect for what?” I asked, never lifting my lips from peppering kisses along her neck and jaw. I figured she meant perfect for us to get it on while no one was looking.

  “Uh…” she stuttered. “Work. It’ll be perfect for me to sit down and relax so I can get a little work done while you’re
busy.”

  “Mmmm,” I muttered, pushing her hair aside so I could gain better access to her delectable neck.

  Turning in my arms, Maci placed the cold water bottle against my cheek just long enough for me to jump back and hold in a squeal. Yeah, squealing like a ninny wouldn’t be very manly of me, especially over some cold water.

  “We’re not going to get shit done if you keep that up, Mr. Allen,” she scolded before pulling from my arms and walking over to where she set her things down.

  I puffed out a ragged breath, adjusting myself a bit so I could calm the fuck down. “Yeah, but it’d be so much more fun than work,” I joked.

  Maci answered with a knowing smile before kicking her Converse shoes off and curling her legs beneath her. Settling into the plush couch, she grabbed her laptop and immediately began to tune me out. It made me wonder what was so fascinating on that screen of hers. She never really explained what kind of work she did, apart from a file clerk at the publishing house. Of course, I knew damn well she wasn’t doing any filing sitting here in my office.

  Sometimes I wish I had her discipline, because attempting to concentrate on work right now seemed damn near impossible.

  Running my fingers through my hair, I decided a bit of music would drown out the pattering of her keyboard and hopefully make me forget she was here long enough to crunch some of these figures for an upcoming beta test.

  Pairing my phone with the Bluetooth speaker system built into the room, I chose something soft, figuring she’d need a quiet atmosphere and I’d need the distraction.

  Sliding my thumb over the touch screen, I finally found something appropriate and pressed play. A light crackle sounded through the speakers before the song finally began.

  Maci’s protest was nearly immediate.

  “Oh, hell no.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Maci: Till the Fat Man Sings

  Hearing the words to Mad World by Gary Jules suddenly fill the space around me had me leaping off the couch quicker than I could comprehend what I was doing. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the song, but Pandora had so kindly played it over and over again since its release, they obviously wanted to ensure I would be sick of it.

  All around me are familiar faces…

  Up from the couch I went.

  Worn-out places, worn-out faces…

  And by the time I reached Liam, he pressed pause.

  “What’s the matter with Mad World?” he questioned, startled at my sudden movement.

  “Nothing’s wrong with it other than it’s been beat to death by a dead horse. Plus, Tears For Fears has always been my favorite. This office needs something a bit more upbeat,” I blathered, snatching his phone from him before he could protest. His answering laugh told me he wasn’t pissed about my outburst, so I decided to be a bit devious.

  Let’s see how far the man will let me go.

  “What do you plan to put on then?” he asked, attempting to peek over my shoulder as I scrolled through his audio library.

  And then I saw it. The fact he had Five Finger Death Punch on his phone told me he liked it, so he’d be cool with this, right?

  Pressing the play button next to Lift Me Up, I figured I’d find out soon enough.

  Liam didn’t even let the beginning lyrics start before he grabbed his phone back and fumbled to press the stop button.

  “Jesus H. Christ, Maci,” he said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Yeah, that can’t happen. I’d get kicked out of my own office,” he added with a nervous laugh. “Pick something a bit more office friendly?”

  Pouting, I took the phone he was offering me and said, “Well, you’re no fun.”

  “I know.”

  Feigning defeat, I settled on 3 Doors Down and told the phone to shuffle the entire Away From the Sun album, turning down the volume to a low hum. Needing to let Liam know I was cool with it and was just fucking with him, I set the phone on his large desk and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me for a soft, but quick, kiss.

  I broke our connection, feeling devious again, and turned to walk back to the couch where my laptop sat. Suddenly, a hand landed on my ass with a hard slap, making me jump in surprise, thankful I was wearing jeans to protect my bum.

  “Quit being a distraction and get to work,” he demanded.

  Rubbing the spot, I looked at Liam over my shoulder, letting him know with only my stare that I’d return the favor when he least expected it.

  It was weird trying to write with Liam in the room. That seemed odd, considering I chose to write around complete strangers nearly every day in the coffee shop, but this was quite different.

  I was still keeping this major secret from him, and I couldn’t help the guilt that settled in the pit of my stomach when I thought of how much I was hiding. It also made me wonder just how much he was hiding from me. If I was keeping this big of a secret, wouldn’t he be doing the same?

  As much as I tried to focus on my writing, the novel I started to make headway on only last night, I couldn’t seem to get into the groove. I kept peeking over to his desk, watching him. I wanted so badly to climb up on that hunk of wood… naked… and make him pay attention to me instead.

  Childish, I know. But who hasn’t had those fantasies of tossing everything on the floor and fucking hardcore on a huge desk like his?

  After almost an hour of pretending to write, Liam’s eyes finally caught me staring at him. I didn’t bother to look away. I knew I’d been caught. Butterflies filled my stomach as he crooked his finger and motioned for me to come to him, a sly smile decorating his features.

  I didn’t hesitate. Upon his command, I rose from the couch, rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans, and slowly walked to the front of his desk.

  In an attempt to be sexy, I leaned forward, holding myself up on my elbows, and said, “You called, sir?”

  “Come around,” he demanded, his voice clipped. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue, matching the crisp sky through the windows behind him. With his stare hypnotizing me, I never tore my gaze away from his as I followed his order and rounded the desk, brushing my fingers over the smooth top along the way.

  As soon as I was within arm’s reach, he grabbed my hips, bringing me to his front and lifting me, placing me on the desk in a sitting position. Without my permission, not that he needed any, he lifted the t-shirt from my body, causing a crinkling sound beneath my ass as I squirmed.

  “Liam, your papers,” I pointed out, realizing I was sitting on the papers he’d been staring at for the past hour.

  “Fuck the papers,” he blurted, using his hands to spread my legs, no doubt to get closer, while he stared at my breasts. They just so happened to be conveniently eye level with him as he sat in his chair.

  Wheeling closer to me, Liam wasted no time and buried his face in my cleavage.

  The feel of his warm mouth against my skin had me involuntarily gasping. His strong hands snaked behind me, creeping up my back, toward the clasp of my bra. The feel of his fingers feathering against my skin gave me goose bumps, a tingling sensation heightening every touch, every kiss.

  Tangling my fingers in his hair, I held his face against my chest, inviting him to remove my bra. I needed it gone sooner rather than later. The desire to have his mouth on more of me was beyond overwhelming.

  As soon as I felt the release of the clasp, the elastic loosening from around me, Liam stood, coaxing me to lay down on the surface of his desk as he moved with me.

  With feverish movements, his lips found mine, consuming me. One hand cradled the back of my head while the other found its way to my breast. I couldn’t help the moans that filled his mouth as his fingers found my nipple, toying with it just enough to drive me absolutely mad.

  Wanting him closer, I wrapped my legs around his waist, tightening until I felt his hard length press against the center of my jeans. God, the confounded material needed to go… immediately.

  Suddenly, I was startled by a loud beeping noise befo
re a disembodied voice spoke beside my head.

  “Mr. Allen?” It was the receptionist. She was lucky her interruption was through the phone, because Liam did not look the least bit pleased.

  “This better be important,” he growled, looking at me with impatience.

  Turned out, it was important—really important. So important, that they didn’t want to discuss it in front of me and asked Liam to pick up the receiver. I blushed at the fact his staff knew I was in here and that they could probably assume what we were doing.

  Holding my bra to my chest while he spoke, I waited for some sort of hint as to what I should do. Should I get dressed? Should I just wait it out?

  His tone didn’t sound too pleased, like he was trying everything in his power to get out of the responsibility being placed on his shoulders. The way it sounded, I knew I needed to get dressed and slowly began to refasten my bra, looking around for where he threw my shirt.

  Thank cripes we weren’t in the middle of a full-on fuck fest.

  A sympathetic look filled his eyes as he hung up the phone, probably pleading for me to understand.

  “It’s okay, Liam. You have work to do, and I’m just a distraction,” I said while sliding off the desk and trying not to muss up his papers.

  “I’m so sorry. Maybe once I get all this cleared up, we can grab a bite to eat and possibly continue what we started?” he suggested, standing and placing a light kiss on my nose.

  “Actually, I didn’t get a lick of work done while sitting here. Turns out you’re just as much of a distraction,” I admitted, returning the whole cutesy nose peck. “I’m going to go home and bust out as much as I can. Hopefully, getting a chance to see you again without work as a distraction will be incentive enough to get it all done.”

  With a few more pleasantries exchanged between us, I left his office feeling frustrated and in need of some serious release.