Yet, I felt no heat. The spark, which I was hoping to sense, was stubbornly refusing to appear. Something held me back, and I knew what it was.
Damn it, why couldn’t I move past J.D.?
“Yeah, I do,” he said, apparently realizing I wasn’t going to initiate contact with him because he leaned back in his seat. “And I actually founded the Arts and Culture Foundation myself. I wanted to do something good with my family’s money.”
That statement was made with a bit of arrogance. I supposed it was well-earned though. The man was a social entrepreneur.
“That’s really great.” I said lamely. I was suddenly ready for the meeting to end. Keith was a perfectly nice guy, but my lack of interest had brought an awkwardness to the air.
He seemed to sense it too, because he stood up and collected his copies of the agreement he had signed. “I better take my leave,” he said, holding his hand out to me.
“Okay. Thanks for coming in. I look forward to working with you.” I grasped his warm hand and met his eyes. Still no reaction from my body.
“It was lovely meeting you,” he said, slightly squeezing my hand and holding on for a moment longer than necessary. Then he was gone.
I left the board room and ran into Gigi. Literally. The papers in my hands went flying and I shot my hands out to steady her as she teetered on her heels.
“Woah. You okay?”
“Yeah. I saw that guy leave. Is he going to be working with us?”
“Yep,” I said, popping the “p.” I bent down and began scooping up the paperwork that had scattered all over the floor, even crawling along to reach a paper that had fluttered under Elliott’s desk.
“Great. Let’s go to lunch and you can tell me about it.”
I quickly agreed. Maybe Gigi could help me figure out why I was so hung up on J.D. Talking to my best friend was just what I needed.
Chapter Eight: Lunch
I was in my office, minding my own business, when Hayden walked in through the previously closed door.
“Please, come on in,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hayden smiled and clapped his hands briskly, ignoring my attitude. “It’s damn near one o’clock. Let’s go to lunch.”
“Did we have plans?”
“We do now. Come on,” he gestured toward the door impatiently.
“You’re acting weird.”
“I’m starving to death,” Hayden exclaimed, clutching his stomach dramatically. “Please J.D., come eat lunch with me before I waste away to nothing,” he begged melodramatically.
Shaking my head at his antics, I grabbed my suit jacket from the back of my chair and shrugged it on. “Okay, drama queen. Let’s grab a bite.”
“Sweet,” Hayden said, shooting out the door ahead of me. I met him at the elevator and we rode down in silence. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet and I frowned. Why was he so rushed? Deciding to just go with it, I didn’t question him as we exited the building.
“We’ll take my car. You want Chinese?” I asked, knowing it was his favorite.
“No, let’s go to Charlie’s.” I nodded and fired up the car, heading to the diner down the street.
“Who are you texting?” I asked curiously as I noticed Hayden was glued to his cell phone during the drive.
“No one,” he said quickly. He was a terrible liar, but I didn’t push it. Something was going on with him.
Charlie’s was a small place with red booths, a counter lined with cushioned bar stools, and black and white tiled floors. It had a retro vibe that made me feel like I was stepping into the 1950’s. There was even a repurposed old jukebox in the corner. It had the authentic look on the outside, but the technology inside the machine was designed by SXz. Customers with an SXz account could use their phones to connect and stream select songs through the diner’s sound system for a small fee.
It was a relatively new tech for us, but it was incredibly popular. Dozens of local bars and restaurants in Silicon Valley had implemented the new sound system and we were trying to land a national chain.
Walking into the restaurant, I saw that it was busy, but not jammed packed. There were waitresses walking around carrying large trays laden with food for the booths and the counter was lined with people drinking thick milkshakes. The sun shone brightly through the windows and made the interior of the diner feel cheerful.
“Hey guys!” a familiar voice called from the right and I saw Gigi and Judy sitting across from one another in a booth next to the window. Judy was waving us over happily.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I said as we approached, eyeing Hayden suspiciously. He wouldn’t meet my eye.
“You should join us, it’s busy in here,” Gigi said.
“There’s still plenty of seating,” I replied. Gigi looked pointedly at Hayden and I narrowed my eyes. What were these two up to?
“They could get a late lunch rush any minute,” Hayden interjected, grabbing my elbow and practically forcing me into the booth next Judy. I stumbled slightly and landed gracelessly beside her. She laughed at me and scooted over so I’d have more room. Hayden slid in next to Gigi.
“We just got here, too,” Judy said, opening her menu.
“What a coincidence!” Hayden said a little too enthusiastically. He made no move to pick up his own menu.
“Yes, it’s almost as if it was planned,” I said wryly.
“Yeah, like it was fate,” Gigi added. She and Hayden were both staring at Judy and I with obviously expectant looks on their faces. This was pathetic.
“Look guys,” I started, “I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish by-”
“Uh-oh, I feel sick,” Hayden interrupted. Judy looked up from her menu with a frown.
“What’s wrong.?” She asked. She hadn’t seemed to notice the scheming that was clearly going on.
“I’m so nauseous all of a sudden. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat lunch,” he grimaced. I narrowed my eyes.
“I thought you were hungry?” I asked.
“Well, I was. But now I’m sick. That happens sometimes,” he explained nonchalantly.
“You know what I bet it is? It must be that sympathetic pregnancy thing. You know, because of Sabine,” Gigi said, her eyes lighting up. “You have pregnancy symptoms!” her voice was loud as she said this and a couple of old men at a nearby table stopped talking to stare at Hayden. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.
“Uh, yeah. That must be it,” he agreed.
“I’ve heard of that,” Judy said, “Watch out, you might even gain weight.”
Hayden looked down his own body, as if trying to see if he had suddenly put on a few pounds.
“Do you need to leave?” Gigi asked him, her eyes darting to Judy and myself briefly. I had the feeling she was trying to communicate with Hayden without using words.
“Yep, I better go back to the office.” He started to stand, and Gigi followed.
“Okay, do you want us to give you a ride?” Judy asked, closing her menu and indicating that I should let her out of the booth. I started to stand as well.
“No!” Gigi practically shouted. Her arms flapped around, gesturing to me to sit back down. “You guys just stay and have lunch. I’ll take him back.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I argued. “I’m the one that works with him. Why should you go out of your way?” I had a good idea what they were up to, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for either of them.
“It’s not a problem. I can pop in to visit Damian. You and Judy are hungry. You should stay and eat.”
“I didn’t say I was hungry,” Judy interjected. Gigi nudged Hayden with her elbow. Did they think we couldn’t see that?
“Oh god, I really need to go,” Hayden said, putting his hand against his lower stomach. “I think that was a contraction!” This earned him more stares from other customers and I fought a laugh.
“A contraction?” Judy asked, amusing lacing her voice.
&
nbsp; “Don’t laugh! I can’t help that I’m such a sympathetic person,” he defended himself.
“We better get you out of here,” Gigi said, grabbing him by the elbow and steering him toward the door.
“Wait, you drove me here,” Judy called out, but Gigi acted like she didn’t hear the words as the door swung shut behind them. Looking out the window, we could see the two of them talking to each other in the parking lot, wearing big smiles on their faces. They shared a high-five and I rolled my eyes.
“They’re trying to hook us up, aren’t they?” Judy asked.
I nodded.
“Well, we might as well eat while we’re here. They have the best chicken salad sandwiches around,” she took a seat and I settled in across from her.
I let my eyes run over her. Her blonde hair was pulled up off her face and I was glad I could see her features. She bit her lip as she stared down at her menu in contemplation. She was so damn beautiful.
Her outfit was the typical Judy get-up. The dress she was wearing had bright red and yellow swirled together, creating a marbled pattern across her body. Her nails were painted a matching red color.
“What are you gonna get?” she asked.
“What?” I asked, leaning forward as if I didn’t hear her.
“I said, what are you getting to eat?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.,” She looked frustrated and confused. We were only two feet away from each other. I grinned. “It must be because your outfit is too loud.”
Judy froze for a second, with her mouth hanging open comically, before tilting her head back and letting a loud laugh. It was a joyous sound and I was proud to have caused it. I found myself smiling broadly in response.
Chapter Nine: Heat
“You’re an ass,” I told him when my laughter had died down. There was no venom in my voice though.
“Well, look at that dress. I could see it coming from a mile away.”
“Well, excuse the fuck outta me for trying to incorporate some color into life.” I gestured to his suit. “You know there are colors other than black, right?”
“Hey, my shirt is white,” he said, holding open his jacket so I could see the flawlessly white shirt he was wearing. I could make out the outline of his pecs beneath the fabric.
“Indeed, it is. You’ve proven me wrong,” I replied sarcastically.
“At least you can admit it. Listen,” J.D. leaned forward and got serious suddenly. “I need you to help me with something.”
“What is it?”
“I want to find a great charity to give money to.”
“Really?”
“Why do sound so surprised?”
“I don’t know. It just came out of nowhere.”
“I want to give to those that need it. I have more money than I could spend on myself, even if I tried. I want to help people. I know it’s not exactly volunteering or starting a charity myself, I’ve decided to give away a hundred million dollars.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. The amount of good that money could do…
“What kind of charity do you have in mind?”
“I was actually going to leave that up to you.”
“What?”
“You know more about charities and doing good than anyone else I know. I trust your judgement.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, amazed.
“Absolutely. Just pick something that really matters, not something like art. I want this money to change lives.
“No problem.”
The waitress came by and we ordered lunch. A comfortable silence settled between us and I looked out the window. I usually couldn’t relax like this and enjoy the quiet with other people. I always felt a need to fill the silence with chatter of some sort.
My sandwich arrived, and I dug in. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the food was in front of me. Before I knew it, I had polished off the sandwich and was working on my fries. J.D. had barely started eating at all. Oh well, I wasn’t one of those girls that acted like she didn’t eat real food because she was with a guy. No small salads for me.
While finishing my food, I contemplated our situation. It was no secret that our previous fling had been steamy. I wanted to revisit that. A good tumble between the sheets might be just what the doctor ordered. I had noticed J.D. shooting lust-filled looks my way, but would he be open to the idea of acting on it? Only one way to find out.
“So, should we go ahead and talk about it?” I asked out of the blue.
“Talk about what?” he asked, taking a sip of his soda.
“Sex.”
J.D. jumped slightly and spluttered on his drink. His eyes watered as he had a coughing fit. I felt a little bad as I waited for him to recover.
“What?” he croaked when he was finally able to catch his breath.
“We need to stop beating around the bush here. It’s just making things awkward. There’s clearly still an attraction between us. I mean, come on, the sex was awesome.”
“Uh, how are you guys doing over here?” the waitress asked. I didn’t realize that she had arrived as I was talking. There was a faint blush on her cheeks.
“We’re okay. Thanks.” J.D. responded, and she hurried away. “I come here a lot. Could you not traumatize the staff?”
“Sorry,” I said with a grimace.
“I think we need to get you back to your office.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
He pulled out his wallet and threw some cash onto the table without bothering to count it. I had no doubt that he had not only covered the bill but left a hell of a tip for our poor waitress.
I followed him to his car and he drove to So Good. His whole body seemed tense and I could see that his knuckles were white from his strong grip on the steering wheel. Now, the silence was awkward. Ten minutes later, he pulled into a parking space outside of So Good and I hesitated to get out. J.D. wasn’t looking at me at all. His eyes were stubbornly focused on his steering wheel, his brow furrowed.
“J.D.,” I said his name softly. I had thought it would be best to air it all out. It hadn’t occurred to me that he would react like this, shutting himself down from me. It was definitely not the best case scenario.
With a sigh, he turned off the car and finally looked at me. His expression was blank. “We should go inside to talk.”
I just nodded and led the way into the building. Elliott’s desk was empty, and I was glad that Gigi had sent him home. There was an uneasy air around me that he would have immediately picked up on. Scanning the room, I didn’t see Gigi. I supposed she must still be at SXz.
Picking up my pace, I made a beeline for the board room with J.D. hot on my heels. Closing the door behind me, I turned around, prepared to clear the air with J.D. If we had to resume this unspoken longing thing, then I guess that’s better than nothing. Clearly, trying to talk about it had been a mistake.
Before I could speak, I found myself pushed up against the door. I gasped as J.D. pressed the length of his body against mine. Taking that opportunity, he covered my mouth with his own, thrusting his tongue inside to taste me. I felt my entire body come to life as his hands ran down my sides. My shock was just beginning to wear off when I heard him turn the lock on the door, ensuring our privacy.
I moaned deeply when he ground himself into me and I felt his erection against my lower stomach. I brought my hands up and entangled them into his dark hair, pulling slightly until our kiss broke and we were looking into each other’s eyes.
“You think I can just talk about this?” he asked, breathlessly. “No, no talking. I’m so sick of talking. I need to feel you.”
I nodded and pressed my lips to his once again. J.D. pulled me away from the door and laid me out on the conference table, shoving the rolling chairs out of the way so he could position himself between my legs. Moving quickly, he stripped off his suit jacket and untucked his shirt. His movements were almost frantic, but I understood. Now that we had started, my de
sperate need for him was uncontrollable.
Lowering himself over me, he trailed wet kisses down my neck, cupping my breasts with his hands. I arched my back and grabbed his shirt, wrenching it open. Buttons went flying, but it didn’t matter. I had to feel his skin against my own.
J.D. lifted himself off me and pulled the shirt from his body, flinging it to the side carelessly. I ran my hands over the smooth skin of his chest, feeling the hard muscles and the deep ridges of his abs. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him back down to me.
As our lips reconnected, I felt his hands run along the length of my legs. When he reached my panties, he didn’t hesitate to grasp them and yank them off. He roughly grabbed my ankles and pulled me until my butt was at the edge of the table. Everything was happening so fast, I felt like I could barely keep up. Luckily, my body was reacting on instinct.
Lifting my right leg, he planted a soft kiss to the inside of my ankle. Maintaining eye contact, he continued to kiss along my leg, working his way up until he reached my thigh. Then, kneeling, he draped my legs over his shoulders.
With him so close to my core, I felt a tingling sensation begin to spread from the area that his lips touched. The pleasure increased the closer he got to my slit and I couldn’t hold still. His big hands gripped my hips and held me in place as I squirmed.
The kissing stopped when he was just inches from my core. Suddenly, things had slowed way down. It was torture. I lifted my head to see what he was doing. As soon as he saw me watching, he gently blew on my wet folds, causing my hips to buck and desperate need to fill me.
“Please,” I moaned. I couldn’t articulate anything else. All I knew in this moment was that I would do anything to keep him going. I would beg if I had to.
J.D. didn’t make me beg. Instead he dove forward, burying his face between my legs. As he tasted me, he let out a groan, creating a vibrating sensation that stole my breath. His grip on my hips was so tight that I was sure it would leave bruises, but I liked it. The pleasure was overwhelming in its intensity.
Tech Titans: The Complete Billionaire Romance Series Page 25
