The Deal

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Yeah, having a beautiful blonde woman as your assistant will do that to you.” Zelda laughed.

  “What? I didn’t notice,” I lied.

  “The office has been talking about you guys since the moment she started working here. Have you asked her out yet?”

  “No, I’m her boss,” I protested—even though I desperately wanted to take Anna out on a date and had some more perverted ideas as well.

  “Jason, it’s the twenty-first century. I’m pretty sure office romances are the only way we meet people. And she’s just working here for three months. I think that no-dating-the-boss thing is more for people whose jobs would depend on their boss and that interaction.”

  “I can’t date an employee. HR would kill me,” I laughed, although I did like how Zelda was thinking.

  “I’m just saying, you two have some serious chemistry. You should consider giving it a try. Maybe you’d be less distracted.” Zelda laughed as she pulled a stack of papers out of my recycling bin. “I think I found your fax.”

  “Shit, I recycled it? Wow, I was distracted.”

  “Let’s get this going so I can go home. And I’m coming into work late tomorrow,” Zelda said as she pulled up the number to the insurance company that we had to fax the forms to.

  “You’re the best, Zelda, thanks so much. I probably wouldn’t have bothered to look in the recycling bin. I better get back home; Anna is babysitting.”

  A look of total shock flashed across Zelda’s face as she froze in place. I realized that no one really knew that Anna lived right next to me. They probably didn’t even know that Edward lived next to me. It probably seemed really weird that I had Anna over at my house babysitting my son.

  “So, you are sleeping with her!” Zelda exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. “I knew it.”

  “No, no, no. Her father lives next to me. She was leaving the house, and I needed a sitter—that’s it.”

  “Wait a minute. Anna lives right next to you? Wow, this is getting really good. And you have her in your house right now babysitting for you? I feel like this is the start of a Lifetime television movie.”

  “Stop, it’s not like that at all.”

  “Not yet,” she said as she raised her eyebrows at me and winked.

  “Okay, okay. I’m going home to get Clyde to bed and get some sleep. Let’s not mention that Anna is at my house babysitting for me, okay?”

  “Sure thing. I can keep a secret. I bet you didn’t know Fed and Mary were sleeping together… shit… forget that.”

  “Well, try a little harder with my secret please,” I said as the two of us flipped the lights off and made our way out of the building.

  I wasn’t about to leave her there by herself that late at night. Even though we were in a relatively safe neighborhood, it was still creepy to be there at night. I didn’t even like going in early in the morning before the sun rose.

  “See you around noon tomorrow,” Zelda joked as she got into her car.

  “That’s fine with me. You deserve to sleep in. Thanks again.”

  Zelda drove off, and I grabbed my phone to look through the messages before driving home. The last thing I needed was to get pulled over again on the drive back to my house. There was one picture from Anna, and it was of Clyde in his pajamas and tucked into his bed.

  ANNA: I’m awesome!

  JASON: Impressive. On my way back now.

  It was truly impressive that Anna had already finished Clyde’s bath and got him into bed. I doubted she would have been able to get the bath done before I returned home. And it was not because I didn’t believe she had the skills, but because Clyde was notoriously naughty when new people watched him. He liked to push the envelope and see what he could get away with. One poor lady actually had Clyde staying up until midnight because Clyde convinced her I let him stay up that late on Fridays. Of course, it wasn’t the truth, and he got in trouble when I got home, but it was pretty impressive that he had managed to convince the poor girl.

  I took my time driving back home because I was so relieved that Anna had been able to handle Clyde. He’d probably be waiting up for me to read him a story and tuck him in again, but that didn’t matter. It was nice to have part of the process done.

  When I walked in the front door, Anna was sitting on the couch with her legs pulled up to her chest and a book in her hand. The tiny dress she had on just barely covered her ass, and she was shivering as she had her arms wrapped around her legs and holding onto the book.

  “Sorry, it always gets cold in here if the thermostat isn’t adjusted after the sun goes down,” I said and grabbed her a blanket from the trunk behind the couch. “I’ll just go tuck Clyde in, just a second.”

  “No, no, no… he just fell asleep.”

  “Actually asleep?”

  “Yeah, we were cuddling, and he conked out,” Anna said with a prideful smile.

  “Okay, I’ll just look in quietly and make sure.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Anna; it was that I didn’t trust Clyde. He liked to pretend sleep to get babysitters out of his room, and then when I’d come home he was full of energy again. But sure enough, as I opened his door I could see that Clyde was one hundred percent sound asleep. His little hands were thrown up over his head, and his mouth was wide open as he dreamt peacefully.

  I closed the door and made my way back into the living room where Anna was standing and grabbing her things. My gut pulled and twisted as she moved closer to the door to leave.

  “Do you want something to drink?” I asked randomly.

  “No, I better get going. I’ve got to get up early in the morning.” She smiled. “Did everything work out all right with what you had to do?”

  “Yeah, thanks to Zelda. She’s a lifesaver.”

  I walked over to the front door and placed my hand on the doorknob. A part of me wanted to hold the door shut and not let her leave, while the other part of me was purely intending on opening the door for her politely.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Anna said, and I politely opened the door for her.

  “See you tomorrow,” I replied and leaned in and gave her a hug. “Thanks again for saving me tonight.”

  Hugging wasn’t something I normally did. It certainly wasn’t something I did with my babysitters, and it probably wasn’t something Anna had expected. But her arms wrapped around me, and I took in her sweet, delicious scent as I let go of the door and wrapped both of my arms around her too.

  Our bodies pressed together long enough that we had passed the arbitrary time that this hug could have been platonic and were moving into a much scarier realm. It took all the self-control I could muster not to let my hands slide down the back of her dress and to her ass which I suspected was partially exposed by how her arms were draped around my neck.

  “Nothing like having a crush on a guy and turning into his babysitter.” Anna laughed as she tried to make light of our situation. “Clyde was really good for me, though.”

  “He must like you,” I replied as my lips moved closer to her neck, and I hovered near millimeters from kissing her delicate skin. “Did you say crush?” I asked and pushed her away a little.

  She was smiling up at me and then looked away almost instantly. I knew she had a crush on me, but hell I had a crush on her as well. There was no denying I’d had plenty of delicious thoughts about her. But the term implied that Anna felt like this was a one-sided thing like maybe I didn’t have the same feelings as she was having.

  “Yeah, like a schoolgirl thing that’s hung on too long. It’s okay. I’ll grow out of it, I’m sure.” She laughed and pulled all the way away from me.

  She couldn’t leave thinking this feeling was something she had to grow out of. Hell, I wanted her so bad at that moment that my pelvis was literally still pressed up against her as the rest of my body slowly pulled away. I replayed what Zelda had said to me at the office. I ran over all the things I knew Kevin would say, b
ut none of it mattered as I pressed Anna against the door and feverishly kissed that neck of hers I’d been so close to touching.

  “I think I’ve got a bit of a crush too,” I said softly between my kisses.

  The freedom of knowing I had the same feelings was enough for Anna, and she dropped her bag and wrapped her arms back around me. This time I grabbed her ass and picked her up as her legs also wrapped around me, and I held onto her as we moved over to the couch. I sat down with her on top of me as our lips zeroed in on each other’s, and we passionately kissed.

  My body throbbed with so much desire that I was certain she could feel me through my pants. Her legs spread around me, and only those small pieces of fabric were separating us. It was enough to make me want to throw her down on the couch and thrust myself inside of her that instant.

  Anna’s hands held onto my face as we continued to kiss and let our bodies move together. The slow rocking of my hips was met with the equally paced rocking of Anna’s. Our kissing slowed from the feverish mania that we had started with to a much more romantic pace that we could sustain for longer.

  “I want you so bad,” Anna said softly as she moved her hair to one side and then kissed me again.

  It had been years since I’d heard a woman so clearly express her desire for me. Being married, I’d never really heard it at all. Even though Elizabeth and I had a pretty good relationship, she never seemed passionate about making love. And the other women I’d dated weren’t at all attached to me or in tune with that emotional desire. Up until I heard those words come out of Anna, I wouldn’t have thought I even cared if a woman said them. But there was something so honest in how Anna approached her feelings about me—something so genuine that it instantly turned me on.

  “Girl, I’ve wanted you since the second I saw you in that damn pink bikini last summer.” I laughed.

  “The tiny one?”

  “Yeah, I can’t believe people even make bikinis that small.”

  “Are you talking about the time I saw you while I was out getting the mail? You barely talked to me that day.”

  “That’s because all my blood had left my head and gone to my other region, and I couldn’t think straight.”

  “Jason!” Anna laughed and pushed me as she leaned back a little. Her pelvis pressed up against me, and I felt my body pulse even harder at the movement. “You didn’t act like you wanted me.”

  “You looked like a lot of trouble, and I was going through a rough time. I think you had some friends over to your house that weekend, and you were all in the backyard. I mowed my yard twice just to get a closer look.”

  “You did not!” she protested and pressed against me again, but this time I grabbed her ass and held her pelvis tight against my body.

  “I did.”

  “You wanted me back then? Why have you stayed away then?” she asked as she reached down and grabbed onto me so her hips could grind against me better.

  “I… um… I didn’t want to be a dirty old man,” I admitted.

  It was the truth. She was obviously young; I didn’t know her age for sure, but I knew she was about half of my age. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure she was legally an adult, and it freaked me out how much I wanted her. It was fun to flirt and very fun to watch her walking around in her tiny bikinis, but it was all a fantasy world and nothing at all what my reality looked like.

  “You aren’t that old,” Anna said as our eyes locked onto one another, and I continued to hold onto her hips as she ground them against me.

  “Yeah, I was stupid.”

  “I should tell you something,” Anna said as our hips moved harder and harder against each other. “Don’t freak out, though. Okay?”

  “I can’t promise not to freak out,” I said as I pulled her down toward me and held onto her hair as I kissed her neck. “What is it?”

  Anna paused and enjoyed my kissing as she seemed to be trying to tell me something. Her hips slowed, and I felt like it was getting serious, but she seemed not to want to look at me as she kept her head near my lips and her neck exposed to my mouth.

  “I’m a virgin,” she muttered softly.

  Certainly, every man had a fantasy about having a virgin, and I was no different. But at that moment, the gravity of her words weighed heavily on me, and I instantly stopped moving her hips against me.

  “We all were at one time,” I managed to say and then pulled her lips to meet mine. Of course, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I didn’t want her to feel like this was a big issue, but it was a huge issue. It changed everything. A girl’s first time was so major and so important to them, and it was obviously important to her if she had saved herself until she was nearly twenty years old.

  “You’re freaked out, aren’t you?” Anna asked as she laid her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Really, I just wanted you to know because… well, I come off a little strong, and I really have no experience in that department.”

  “You, a little strong?” I laughed and pushed her away so I could look at her.

  “What? I know what I want, and I go after it. You can’t blame me for that.”

  “You want me to be your first?”

  “Hell, yeah,” she said and then kissed me hard as her hand started stroking me through my pants. “Right now. Let’s go to your room,” she teased as her hand squeezed me.

  “I think,” I started to say but was distracted by the delicious feel of her hand on my body for a good minute before I could finish. “I think you and I should go on a real date.”

  “A real date? Like a dinner?” Anna asked and was a little shocked at my request.

  “Yes, like where we sit and talk to each other and actually have a conversation without getting naked,” I teased but still let my hands move up and down her body as I held her there on top of me.

  “We don’t have to go on a date you know. This doesn’t have to be anything more than a fun night together. I’m okay with that. I’m fine with just a night.”

  I was pretty sure Anna was telling the truth, and she would be just fine. For as many horror stories as I’d heard about dating younger women and sleeping with them, I didn’t think Anna fit into that stereotype. But her admission to me was a big deal, and going on a date wasn’t just for her, it was for me too. I was no longer the kind of guy who could just take a girl’s virginity and not think twice about it. I’d grown up over the years, and I knew if I was going to be this guy for her, it was going to be damn special.

  “So. you’re saying you don’t want to go out with me? It’s okay,” I teased as I faked being hurt. “I’ll get over your rejection someday. It might take a few years, though, and maybe some intense therapy.”

  “Oh. stop it,” Anna said and hit my chest again.

  “You hit me a lot.” I laughed and held her hand against my chest. “I think I deserve a real date. Even if it’s just to pay me back for all the beatings I’ve taken.”

  “What about work? Do you want me to quit? I don’t have to work there; it just makes my father feel better with all the uncertainty.”

  “No, you’re not quitting your job. You are really good at it, and there’s some major stuff going to happen soon with your dad’s company. I’ll need you around.”

  “Okay, so I’m going to be your assistant, and we are going to go on a date?” she asked and raised an eyebrow of concern.

  “Admittedly it’s probably not the best choice, but I can’t go on trying to hide from you all week—it’s killing me,” I said as I pushed her off of my lap and sat her next to me. She barely weighed anything and quickly curled up with her legs on the couch as we continued to talk. “Could we take things slow and try and get this deal settled with your father?”

  "You were purposely ignoring me?” Anna said as her mouth dropped open, and she went to hit me again but then stopped short and pulled her hand back.

  “Hell, yeah, I was. Loo
k what happens when I stop ignoring you,” I pointed to my obvious hard on bulging out of my pants. “You are really hard to ignore, you know.”

  “You don’t even know what a relief that is to hear. Wow, I was starting to second guess everything,” Anna said as she lay back on the couch and stretched her legs over my body, but as her foot ran into my pulsing member, she decided to sit back up. “Okay, so you want to wait until I leave before we go on a date?”

  There was no way I was going to last two months, and I knew it. She sat there looking at me with her gorgeous blue eyes and perfectly formed lips – it was all I could do to actually take a break from kissing her. Nope, I didn’t want to wait two months.

  “Let’s just take it easy and see how things go. But we could go on a date; that wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

  “No, it wouldn’t be,” she said and then kissed me on the cheek. “I better get going, though. I do need to get a little sleep before work tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you leave this time.” I stood up and held my hand out for her, then pulled her up with me. As I led her back over to the door, there was an overwhelming sense of calm for me. We had finally settled what this was between us and even decided on a plan to move forward. It was a bit exciting yet calming all at the same time.

  “See you tomorrow,” Anna said, and I pulled her next to me and gave her a light kiss.

  “Drive safely, darling.”

  She walked slowly out to her car and turned around a couple times to wave at me. There was a bounce in her step, and I felt a little bounce in my step too as I finally closed the door. It was invigorating to have a girl like Anna around me. Yet I was utterly terrified that she was still a virgin. Wow, that was a bombshell that I just hadn’t expected.

  Chapter 10

  Anna

  I could barely contain myself as I tried to walk calmly to my car and pull out of the driveway. I put my phone on speaker and dialed Lilli, but when I realized it was after midnight, I quickly hung up. She wasn’t going to be awake still, and I knew it. So, I dialed Patrick because I desperately needed someone to share my excitement with, and I couldn’t wait the thirty-minute drive to get back to the apartment.