by Dani McLean
“Oh, Diego knows his way out. Right, D?” She raised her voice as she called down the hall. A muffled response confirmed.
I shook my head in amusement as she shut the door behind her and took a long sip of coffee. “I’ll warn you, I’ve barely slept, and this is my first caffeine of the day. I may need a minute before I can offer any sage advice.”
My phone pinged, and I smiled, guessing who it was. Jackson and I had been messaging pretty steadily since we’d swapped numbers last week. Just flirty little texts back and forth, nothing deep or meaningful. I was determined to keep this strictly about sex. But I couldn’t help the grin that overtook my face as I thought of him, and Tiff caught on immediately, as I’d known she would.
“And who has you so happy on a Saturday morning? That wouldn't be pretty boy, would it?”
“You know his name is Jackson.”
“Uh-huh. And I'm sure it means nothing that he's messaging you at,” she mimicked looking at a watch, even though her wrist was bare, “ass o'clock in the morning on a weekend. Are you sure you don't have a sexy naked man you could be attending to?”
“Okay, firstly, eight a.m. is a perfectly normal time for adult humans to be awake, thank you very much. And secondly, no, he’s busy at the moment, but now that we’re able to message, it’s easier to set something up.”
“Finally. I have better things to do than play matchmaker with you two.”
“Like Diego?”
Her grin was wolfish. “Exactly.”
We settled into a comfortable silence on the walk downtown, Tiff needing the time to let the coffee kick in. It wasn’t until we reached the Mile that she spoke again. “So tell me, what are we shopping for today?”
We didn’t usually require any particular reason for retail therapy. Most Saturdays, we just walked aimlessly and window shopped. But today, I was on a mission—no more boring underwear.
“Lingerie. I realized I own maybe one good set, and the rest are fine but hardly make me feel sexy.”
“Oh! You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this moment!” Tiff squeezed the air out of my lungs with a tight hug.
“Okay, okay! Let me go.” I choked out a laugh with the air I had left before she loosened her grip and started pulling me along the shops. To where, I had no idea.
“Auds, I’m serious. I’ve wanted to take you here for years! Ooh, we’re going to have so much fun today. Pretty boy won’t know what hit ‘im.”
“Well, what are we waiting for then?”
When I entered the office on Monday, it was with a lingering lightheadedness and slight sting on my lips. After my little shopping trip on Saturday with Tiff, Jackson had ended up coming over, and it was the perfect opportunity to try one of my new purchases.
His reaction to it had more than justified the price, in my opinion.
I smiled, recalling it.
What really stayed with me were his eyes. They had ranged from warm and playful while we talked, devilish while I was riding him, and hazy with lust while he went down on me. They were so expressive; I felt them on me even now.
And while the sex had been amazing, what I enjoyed the most, what I hadn’t even realized I’d forgotten, was feeling desired. The moments when he was overcome with want and made his pleasure known, loud and clear. I hadn’t felt that in a long time.
Oh, and his hands. So strong and capable. He knew exactly what he was doing as he kept his touch teasing and light, knowing when I wanted more. When I wanted it rough. When I wanted him to grab, scrap, and mark me. And when he did, when he manhandled me and moved me and devoted himself to my pleasure, I still felt cared for and safe.
For the first time in a long time, I remembered what I enjoyed about sex, and it was so much more than orgasms. It was the play, the banter, the exploration. I wanted to squirrel him away from the rest of reality so that we could explore every single fantasy I’d ever had.
David’s musical knock startled me out of my thoughts. “What’s gotten into you today?”
I felt like the cat caught with the canary. “What? What do you mean?” I willed my face not to blush, but I could feel my temperature rising. David couldn’t have known I’d just been picturing Jackson doing dirty, dirty things to me, but I still felt embarrassed.
“You’re practically giddy. I’ve known you a long time, and I’ve never seen you this happy. Whatever it is, I’m glad. Or maybe I should say whoever it is.”
“I’m not … There’s not …” I blew out a laugh. It was a poor response. And did nothing to dissuade him. “How do you know it’s not work?”
“As much as I would love to believe that, I think we both know work has never left you humming in the elevator.”
“I was humming?”
“Yep.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks before burying my face in my hands, trying to hide the splitting smile that had erupted. “Can we please not talk about this?”
“It’s alright, kiddo. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m just glad to see you happy.”
“Thanks, David.” When he didn’t step away, I asked, “Was there anything else?”
“Yes. Are you free this morning? I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
I checked my calendar. “Yeah, all free. Everything ok?”
“Everything is fine. Just come by my office at nine, and I’ll fill you in.”
When he left, I buried my head in my hands again, laughing at how giddy I felt.
I felt like I was standing on a precipice of mirth, like laughter was caged within me, fighting to escape at any moment. Every time I opened my mouth, I was terrified it was about to burst forth. I could never remember feeling this lightheaded before. And now I knew everyone could see it as well. My face reddened deeper.
Was this normal? I couldn’t remember being this way with Brad, but that had been so long ago, and we’d been in college when we’d met. I knew I wasn’t developing feelings for Jackson because I’d only seen him the four times we’d slept together and the whole point of this arrangement was that it was strictly casual. No dates, no labels, nothing serious.
But it was true that I felt a little bit intoxicated by him. Infatuated if I really thought about it, but I locked that thought away to worry about some other time. At worst, it was a crush. A harmless, completely casual, not at all serious crush over an extremely handsome man, who just so happened to be the best sex I’d ever had. And who was also smart, funny, kind, interesting. Nope, not going there.
It was just the honeymoon phase. That happened with fuck buddies, right?
I felt a burning in my chest, not completely unpleasant, and the churn of butterflies flitting about my insides. Whatever this was, it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t want a relationship. Not now. Maybe not ever.
Ok, that was likely an exaggeration, but honestly, I just didn’t want to think about it. All I wanted was some casual fun, and Jackson was on board with that. So why did it feel like my own body was betraying me?
The butterflies stuck around throughout my morning, a constant fluttering ache that kept Jackson close to mind, and it required effort to remain focused through my meetings. It didn’t help, then, when Jackson texted me.
Jackson: I can’t stop thinking about that sexy red bra. I don’t know how I’ll make it through filming today. I’m going to need to see it again.
Jackson: For science.
Jesus. He was going to be the death of me. For the first time in my life, I considered taking the rest of the afternoon off and heading over to his place. I’d never skipped out early before, and I could hardly believe I was even entertaining the idea. Surely I couldn’t? Could I? The very concept thrilled me. But I couldn’t. I was far too busy, and even if I did, Jackson was filming today.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t give a little back. Maybe even … make things a little harder for him …
Before I could talk myself out of it, I messaged him.
Me: Luckily I saved a visual aid
for research purposes. Hope it helps
I attached a photo I’d taken of myself in that particular pair. After our successful shopping trip over the weekend, I’d gone home and tried everything on, taking photos of a few and texting Tiff for her opinion on which one would be best for seeing Jackson that night. I hadn’t deleted the photos afterward, and now I was glad for it.
I put my mobile down after pressing send, my giddiness skyrocketing. I’d never sent a man a suggestive photo of me before, and I felt like a teenager sneaking a guy into my room without my parent’s knowledge. I laughed at myself. What the hell was Jackson doing to me?
“Audrey, can you come into my office?” David was standing in my doorway, and my smile faltered a little. This sounded … well, not serious; he didn’t have his serious face on. But it was certainly curious. For David to call me in first thing meant something. I hoped it had nothing to do with the launch.
This was silly. I’d known David for years now, so why was there a bubble of anxious anticipation swirling in my gut?
David waved me in when I approached. “Audrey, I want you to meet Winnie and Jet.”
I looked over at two blond twenty-somethings, who were nervously smiling at me.
“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Audrey.”
The girl standing closest to me came forward and shook my hand vigorously. “It's so cool to meet you. I’m really looking forward to working together.”
Wait, what?
I looked over at David, and he had a fixed smile on his face. If the blond babies hadn't been staring at me starry-eyed, I'd definitely have asked him what the hell he was trying to pull. But it would have to wait until later.
A nagging feeling stirred in me, and I knew before I asked, I was going to regret asking, “Working with me?”
“Yes, Winnie and Jet are our new interns, and I've assigned them to work with you on the MacMillan launch.”
I swallowed down my frustration. Did David really think I had the time to be mentoring two complete newbies? I’d told him I could handle it on my own.
Between the four other client accounts I was managing and the seven customer accounts, I barely had time to get home before dark most days, and the added launch would leave me with less time than ever before.
And now I was expected to show these interns the ropes and how to do my job in between all of that? It would result in every task taking twice as long, and I just couldn’t believe David thought this was a good idea. Why now?
Fully prepared to tell him to reassign them, the hopeful look on their faces made my resolve crumble. I still remembered what it had been like to start out. Hell, it was David himself who had been the one to show me most of what I knew once upon a time.
And now he was trusting me to do the same.
I swallowed my frustration. I didn't know where I'd find the time, but I would try and make this work.
Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to find them something to busy themselves with. “Ok, great, I could use the help. It’s really nice to have you two on board.”
David looked relieved. “I’m going to get them set up, and I thought you could show them the ropes.”
When I returned to my office, I ran over my schedule for the day, rearranging what I could so that I'd be able to spend some time with the interns.
It wasn't until after lunch that Winnie and Jet became my responsibility. It quickly became obvious that they weren't ready to be left on their own. Not that they weren't capable, they seemed smart and proficient, but they had no hands-on experience.
My original plan was to have them manage a few of my other accounts while I focused on the launch, but they couldn’t go five minutes without asking me another question or deferring to me before making a decision like they were scared to have the wrong opinion.
But it was their first day, and they just seemed so eager and happy to be there. I couldn't bring myself to complain about it, even to myself. It would be like being mad at two puppies.
Still, for all their “help.” I still had to do everything myself, just a lot slower since I walked them through it as I went.
At this rate, we could probably launch the rum in … Oh, I don't know, a year?
16
Audrey
“That was meant to be sexy, sorry.” We were both laughing as we stepped out of the shower and dried off.
“That's ok; it was funny."
“Sex with me is funny?” He playfully snapped his towel at me, making me yelp.
“I meant fun, not funny.”
“So kneeing me in the balls is fun, is it?”
I playfully slapped his shoulder. “It’s not my fault you slipped!” Our combined laughter reverberated against the tiles. “Ok, not a great example. And to be honest, I've never had sex be fun before. I've never had so much fun having sex before.”
I avoided his gaze while I finished drying off. It was more than I thought I should have said, considering this was just a casual fling. But I couldn’t avoid looking at him when he tilted my chin up with a gentle hand and closed the distance between us. “It’s the most fun I've had, too.”
He looked so sincere, so tender, that my brain shorted out. I didn’t really understand how I came to be standing here, pressed up against the sexiest man I’d ever met, who looked at me with more affection than I ever remembered seeing from Brad. I didn’t really have any response, not one that contained words anyway, so instead, I threaded my hands into his damp silky hair, now curling slightly, and tried to convey everything I was feeling in a kiss.
When we pulled back, I asked, “I’m guessing the shower isn’t the craziest place you’ve had sex.”
“Not exactly. You?”
I wrinkled my nose, feeling more than a little vanilla. “Kind of? I’m not really an exhibitionist, and my ex wasn’t very adventurous.”
“Tell me this then, what was the best kiss you’ve ever had?”
Every kiss with you.
But it was too much to say, so I bit my lip and hoped it looked like I was thinking it over. “Ooh, tough one. Probably my first kiss because I snuck out of class to meet Jimmy by the cafeteria, and it was the most naughty thing I’d done to that point.”
He feigned offense. “Wow. I don’t even rate above Jimmy from school.”
I smirk. “You’re top five.”
His eyes crinkled with humor, and my skin tingled at the sound. “Good to know. Best date?”
“Am I being interviewed right now?”
“I’m just curious. Google will pretty much tell you what you want to know about my love life, and I’m just evening the playing field.”
“Fair. Hmm, well, it’s going to sound weird, but when I turned twenty-one, Brad took me out to see the Bulls play because he was a huge fan, and I’d never been to a game before. Of course, he spent the entire night trying to educate me on the game and why the Bulls are the best, blah blah blah.”
“Sounds like the perfect date so far,” he deadpanned.
“Shh, I’m getting there. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a Jordan fan. I get why the Bulls have the legacy they do, but Brad was driving me a little crazy, so I started going for the other team. And that was the night the Kings came back by thirty-five points, which pretty much made my night even if Brad wasn’t happy.”
“That’s your best date? The Bulls were robbed that night.”
“They were not robbed; they were cocky. They came in from a two-game winning streak, pulled ahead early, then slacked off midway through the third quarter. They assumed they had it in the bag, and the Kings took advantage. They deserved that loss.”
“Wow. All this time, I thought you had no flaws, but it turns out you’re a terrible Bulls fan.” I playfully slapped his bicep. “How did the date end?”
I grimaced at the memory. “The night went downhill pretty fast. After that, we spent date nights at home and only watched the games Brad already knew they’d won.” It had been one of the first and last real dates Brad had taken me on,
and yet I’d stayed with him for ten years. What did that say about me?
“He’s an idiot. If it had been me, I would’ve taken you out every chance I had.”
“Just not to a Bulls game.”
“I’m not a masochist.” He joked before kissing me and dropping my towel to the floor.
“So would I make the top five?” I asked between kisses.
His damp chest was flush against mine, and the scent of soap and something uniquely him filled my every breath. “Without a doubt.”
I didn’t register the change in our location until I felt the world tipping and the soft, giving embrace of my bed beneath me as Jackson lowered me.
I was starting to want him in my bed like this more frequently than the sporadic nights we currently had, and that scared the hell out of me.
“Audrey Adam’s office, how can I help you?” Jet had answered the phone on my desk with hardly a second thought, and I was torn between surprise and insult. I’d never had anyone answer my phone before, and I wasn’t entirely sure I enjoyed it. I was perfectly capable of answering my own phone and having someone else do it made me feel slightly impotent.
Jet nodded at whoever was on the line, making notes on the pad in front of him, and I pasted on a smile when he hung up and turned to me. The last thing I wanted to do was make him feel unhelpful. Or that I was ungrateful.
Despite my reticence, having them around was actually nice; I just wished I had more for them to do.
“That was Julia, asking if you could move your meeting with them.”
“Ok, did she say when she’d prefer to have it?”
“They want you to come over to the distillery this afternoon so you can agree on the launch plans.”
On the one hand, I was glad they’d made a decision. I pitched them my two ideas a week ago, and they’d asked for time to mull it over. With the hopeful launch date being just eight weeks away, I was glad they hadn’t taken too long to decide.
On the other hand, there went my afternoon. “Ok. That’s ok. I think I can make that work.” I looked over my calendar; I had three scheduled customer calls to confirm stock counts for reordering. Tapping my fingers on the desk, I wondered what my options were. Maybe I could call them from the road? No, I wouldn’t be able to make notes if they wanted changes. Maybe I could just call during my lunch break?
