by Tyler Grey
His other hand reached up to caress the side of my neck and continued coaxing my lips to return his kisses. Not that I needed any coaxing at the moment. Years of suppressed sexual tension fizzled beneath my skin as Seth’s strong arms wrapped around my waist. He pulled us together, with no amount of air between our bodies. Hard muscle greeted the curves of my body while I braced myself by clutching the strong muscles of his arms.
The intensity of it all took my breath away. I expected him to stop, to tell me that we needed to continue this some other time. It was the middle of the afternoon. Anyone could come walking into his office if they wanted to. And then what? Gossip would scorch through the entire office.
“Seth,” I gasped, breaking away for a moment. “We-we can’t do this. It’s in the middle of the afternoon.”
Seth’s hands fisted on the fabric of my blouse. His eyes danced wildly when he looked down at me. “No one will come in here. Not without knocking.”
“It doesn’t matter. It—”
His lips crashed down over mine again to silence my protests. Not because I didn’t want this. Oh, God. I wanted it. I needed him more than anything in the world.
“Stay right here,” he said when he pulled back again. “I have an idea. Don’t move.”
I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. My legs were shaking violently from the swell of emotions rising inside of me.
Seth exited his office for a moment while I stood there sucking in deep breaths to control myself. He was only gone for a few minutes before coming back into the office. He locked the doors and turned to look right at me with dark eyes. My heart raced all over again.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathlessly.
Seth reached up to loosen the knot of his tie. “I’m making sure that there aren’t any distractions for the next hour. I doubt that I’ll need an hour though.”
Those words crashed over me in a hot and crushing wave. A ball of emotions caught in my throat while he took slow and deliberate steps in my direction. My feet were glued to the floor even though a part of me screamed at myself to run. Nothing good would come of this. I knew it just as well as he did.
We were drawn to each other in ways that I’d never felt before. Not even with Todd who had been the love my life so many years ago. That attraction felt miniscule compared to what I was feeling right now.
“What if—” I started.
“There are no what-ifs,” Seth interrupted me, sweeping me up into his strong arms. “We won’t be disturbed. I told everyone to hold any calls or visits for the next hour while we do a presentation.”
“This doesn’t feel right,” I said, shaking my head. “We can’t do this on company time. You said it yourself.”
Seth’s eyes darkened even more as he smoothed his hands down the curve of my spine. His fingers cupped the curve of my bottom before gripping there hard.
“It feels so right, too,” he said huskily. “Do me a favor, Alisha. Let your mouth do something other than trying to talk your way out of something that you want to do.”
He kissed me again with even more intensity than the last time. Our tongues tangled together in a dance of dominance until he easily took over. He lifted me easily to coax my legs around his waist which put me in direct contact with the hardening bulge in his pants. I whimpered in response to the feel of his large erection straining against the core of me. Desperation filled me.
I tangled my hands in his dark locks while we kissed wildly, relishing the fact that I could for that brief moment at least. He carried the both of us easily back through the private door in his office. It smelled of freshly laundered sheets and towels. The air felt cool on the back of my blouse when Seth’s hands tugged the fabric up to touch the skin of my back.
His lips moved away from mine to trail hot kisses down my neck. I gripped the back of Seth’s neck in response to his teeth digging down on a particularly sensitive patch below my ear. It gave me the brief opportunity to look at my surroundings. The private room was exactly what I had suspected it to be. A lavish bedroom with expensive furniture, a king-sized bed, and an executive washroom. I had suspected for a long time that Seth never left the building sometimes. It made sense that he had a place to sleep and freshen up before the work day.
I could feel Seth’s heart racing beneath my hands when I slid them down to feel the muscles there. It matched the pace of my own pounding heart. He set me down in the center of the bed on a soft blanket and firm pillows. Not breaking eye-contact, he kicked out of his shoes before pulling off his tie. He tossed the fabric away carelessly before working on the cufflinks at his sleeves. The buttons of his shirt followed.
My eyes were riveted to the tanned skin that peeked out when the fabric of his shirt parted. He shrugged out of it easily with a smile tugging at his lips. Every inch of his chest was sculpted to perfection. Not a single ounce of fat. A small patch of dark chest hair followed by a trail of hair that followed a straight path between two sharp hip bones. The trail disappeared beneath the belt line of his pants.
The mattress shifted when Seth crawled across it to linger above me with that same smile tugging at his lips. Breathless, I could only stare up into those endless stormy eyes that were fixated on me, seeking silent permission to continue. Years of being on my own, not even bothering with pleasure, my skin felt tight against the core of me. Wetness soaked through the fabric of my underwear. I felt it when I shifted underneath Seth while I stared up at him.
I gave a small nod. His lips pressed up against mine in feather-light kisses while his hands went to the buttons of my blouse. He made quick work of the buttons before helping me shrug out of it. My skin burned wherever Seth’s eyes landed on me. Approval shimmered in his eyes when he caught my nervous look. It took all of my strength to not cover up or to explain why these breasts weren’t as perky as those of some younger women.
“Fucking beautiful,” Seth murmured, pressing a kiss to the valley of my breasts. He reached around my back to undo the clasp while my hands clutched his strong shoulders. “I have to see you after wondering all this time.”
His eyes took in my bare breasts greedily before he leaned down to suck them. I gasped at the sensation of his tongue dragging across the tip of my nipple while his skilled hands worked my flesh with ease. Every little touch and kiss only heightened the throbbing between my legs. I reached up to trail my fingers across the muscles along Seth’s back. Strong muscles shifted beneath hot skin as those sinful kisses trailed down the plane of my stomach to the button of my pants.
The tension from my belt and pants loosened. Hooking his fingers on the elastic band of my underwear and pants, he tugged both pieces of fabric down my legs. I held my breath, inwardly grateful I had at least shaved this morning, while Seth helped toss away my shoes and socks. I laid completely bare beneath him as he rose up to his knees alongside me to smooth his hands down the curve of my thighs.
The tip of his thumb brushed against the apex of my thighs. I jerked in response before those skilled fingers parted me without hesitation. He began to rub at the bundle of nerves there until I could no longer see straight. I clutched the sheets desperately to keep a sense of reality about me, but it was impossible with him bringing me to a quick release. He pulled his hand back quickly before I could reach that sweet pinnacle. A groan of disappointment left my lips.
Seth chuckled as he slid off the bed to tug at the buckle of his belt. “Oh, don’t worry, baby. You’re going to get there.”
“Seth—”
“You’ll be saying that too,” he said cockily, slacks loosening about his hips. “Just wait for it. You will be saying my name too.”
He hooked his thumbs on the elastic band of his boxers to tug them down with his pants. My eyes latched onto the rather impressive erection that glistened in the afternoon light. A bubble of nerves started in my stomach. It’d been so painfully long since—well, I couldn’t even compare that to Todd, the only man I had ever been with.
Seth reached into
a bedside drawer to pull out a condom wrapper. The smell of latex filled the room as the center of my legs throbbed painfully for a release. Blood pounded in my ears from the anticipation of it.
The brush of Seth’s bare and hot body settling between my legs was exquisite. I sucked in a trembling breath when the tip of his very hard erection nudged me. No amount of anticipation would ever prepare anyone for this type of moment. I had spent years wondering what it would be like, but there was no possible way to describe it when our eyes locked.
He slid into me in one deep and hard thrust. My fingers dug into Seth’s forearms from the pleasure of feeling him rock hard and buried inside of me. The pain faded quickly when he thrust into me again with a throaty groan echoing inside my ear. He slammed into me again with even more force. The flicker of an approaching orgasm filled me as his hips ground up against mine at a frantic pace.
“Fuck,” I whimpered, clutching at him. “Seth—”
His hand slid down to grasp my right ass cheek firmly. “Yes, baby. It feels so good. So fucking good.”
He didn’t wait for a response. Our hips ground together at a frantic pace while we clutched at each other in desperation. I reached up to bite his bottom lip, tasting blood. An orgasm, a mind-numbing and tingling type of pleasure, crashed over me a second later. I dimly heard over the pounding of blood in my ears the sound of Seth crying out in pleasure before he collapsed on top of me.
Our heavy breaths filled the room. The sound of a phone ringing in the office brought me back to reality. A bucket of what felt like cold ice consumed me over the sated relief.
Fuck.
Seth lifted his head to gaze down at me with a furrowed frown. “What is it?”
Tears stung the back of my eyes. After years of being so proud of not being one of those women, shame crept over me. I managed to keep a straight face against Seth’s probing gaze.
“The phone is ringing,” I managed to say in an even voice. “You should probably get it.”
He drew back from me to look at the phone on the bedside table. I took the opportunity to slide across the bed, away from the naked and gorgeous man who had given me the most physical pleasure of my life. I hurried into the washroom when Seth picked up the phone with an irritated growl.
“I said no phone calls,” he said. “What is it?”
I closed the door before he could turn to look in my direction. My knees knocked together as I approached the large mirror to gaze at myself. There were marks all over. Passionate love bites. Places where Seth’s hands been gripping. My hair was tangled about my flushed face. Dread curdled in my stomach.
I slept with my boss. What the fuck had I done?
Chapter 17
Seth
I slammed the phone back down on the cradle in sheer irritation at being interrupted from a sated afterglow. I never felt more sated in my life. After days of mounting frustration, of lusting after this damn stubborn woman, I finally had her in my bed in the best fuck session of my entire life. It had been quick and rough, as the both of us poured every inch of our anger into it.
Alisha had taken the rough lovemaking with pleasure and enthusiasm, too. I glanced down at my bare arms to see evidence of that. Marks covered my arms from her fingernails digging in. My hips were red from her hips grinding up against my own.
I had made the right choice by following my gut instinct on this one. There was no possible way that Alisha could disagree with my original proposal now. Not after that amazing time we just spent together.
I sighed as I fought the temptation to curl up and take a nap. The phone call, however, required me to get dressed to face the rest of the day.
Gathering my clothes from the ground, I quickly rid myself of the used condom before grabbing a fresh suit from the closet. I didn’t want to risk gossip over a wrinkled shirt. No one in the office seemed to suspect anything when I informed them Alisha and I would be doing a very important presentation. It still slipped past someone to patch in a damn phone call though before I could assure Alisha that everything would be all right.
I glanced at the washroom door that was still closed. I could hear the faucet running along with the sound of Alisha moving about in the washroom. Fastening one cufflink, I gently knocked on the washroom door.
“You okay in there?” I asked.
“Fine,” Alisha said shortly. She cleared her throat a second later. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute to get washed up and dressed.”
I took the hint to give Alisha space. I wasn’t a fan of lingering behind afterward either when there were things that needed to be done. A part of me wished that I would’ve held out until the end of the day at least. It would’ve given us both more time to talk things out.
“I’ll be on the phone if you need me,” I said.
It was the only thing I could think to say now. I couldn’t decipher the tone in Alisha’s voice either, with her shut behind the door. My steps were lighter than before when I entered my office to pick up my cell phone. There were a few missed calls as usual, along with a few emails that needed my attention. I scrolled through the emails while I waited for Alisha to surface from inside the washroom.
It was at least fifteen minutes later before Alisha stepped out of the room dressed again with her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She didn’t meet my eyes as she hurried over to her desk to take a seat. I didn’t miss the way her hand trembled when she swept a hand through her hair self-consciously. I also didn’t miss the tears that sparkled in Alisha’s eyes when she glanced quickly over in my direction.
I didn’t know how to process Alisha’s behavior throughout the rest of the afternoon. She appeared to be jittery and even more nervous than beforehand but kept her distance while we continued to sort through the disclosure. I couldn’t handle the awkward air any longer after three hours passed of complete silence between the two of us.
“Alisha,” I said, resting a hand on the edge of her desk to gain her attention. She paused her typing to look up at me with guarded eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Why?”
“Because this is the first time you’ve spoken,” I said. “I just want to make sure that—”
“This is what you wanted.”
“What did I want?” I asked, taken aback by the crisp statement. “What are you talking about?”
Alisha’s gaze settled back down on the computer screen. “You know exactly what I mean. I don’t have to tell you.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond to that. My phone buzzed from inside the front pocket of my shirt. Sighing, I pulled it out to glance down at the email message on the screen. I left Alisha’s desk to return to mine while I typed out a quick reply on my phone.
She was right. I wanted this. I wanted us both to work hard, play hard, and then work even harder. That had been my offer. It didn’t require either one of us to commit to one another. Neither one of us had the time to enjoy a relationship outside of this office, either.
It still didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t shake the sense of growing dread in the pit of my stomach.
The following couple hours passed by in a tense silence. Alisha rose from her desk a few minutes before five o’clock to gather her personal possessions. She nodded in my direction while sliding into her sweater jacket.
“Goodnight,” she said. “See you in the morning.”
“Night,” I said.
Relief filled me the second those office doors closed. I let out a pent-up breath and reached up to loosen the knot of my tie. I had gotten exactly what I wanted. Neither one of us mentioned what had transpired hours ago. Alisha resumed her job without question. She didn’t cling to me or whine for more attention. It was the exact opposite. Everything was the exact opposite when it came to Alisha. Nothing about her had any rhyme or reason compared to the way I understood women to act.
I rubbed my aching head in bone-tired exhaustion. I still had at least a few hours of work left to get done before I could even think
about retiring for the night.
Confident that the rest of the office had emptied out for the evening, I left the privacy of my office to head in the direction of the breakroom to make a pot of coffee. The door swung open before I could push it to reveal a startled Jim Chambers on the other side of the door. My mood immediately worsened at the sight of him. I had nothing against Jim professionally; he was also damn good at his job. I rarely corrected him, but there was something about him that I didn’t particularly like. I couldn’t place my thumb on it, even though I knew it had to do with Alisha.
“Sorry,” Jim said curtly. “I didn’t think you were still in the building. Figured you were already gone for the day like Alisha.”
I stiffened angrily at the mention of her name. “I have work to do, Mr. Chambers. Why am I paying you overtime this evening?”
“You’re not. I’m clocked out for the day.”
“Why are you here then?” I asked coldly. “I don’t like employees lingering about after hours. The cleaning staff will be coming shortly.”
Jim remained motionless in the doorway. His eyes narrowed at me in suspicion while he held the door open with a hand.
“I was hoping to catch Alisha,” he said. “I figured she was still in the office with you. She spends a lot of time with you in there behind closed doors. She seemed a bit upset this afternoon.”
Keeping my emotions in check came naturally from years of experience. There were business deals that needed to be done without any emotion clouding my judgment. I kept my face perfectly schooled in a guarded and aloof expression because I knew that Jim was searching for anything to key off of.
“She’s fine from what she told me,” I said, and inwardly laughed at the disbelief on Jim’s face. “I’d suggest worrying about yourself rather than Alisha’s whereabouts.”
