by Lia Lee
As he walked into the bar, he spotted one sandy head of hair and one dark, and a pair of empty martini glasses and came toward them with a smile and open arms. Ethan gave a little hop, and Samson lifted the petite man into his arms, causing Johnny to laugh deep and low.
“The giant came down from his cloud to see us, finally!” Johnny said.
“I’ll take it!” Ethan gestured toward the seats. “After you, Sir CEO, Mr. Important Person. You still drink? Scotch? Gin martini with a twist?”
“Scotch will be fine,” Samson managed to get out just before Ethan bounded off. “He’s got as much energy as ever, doesn’t he?”
“God, you’ve no idea, Sammy.” Johnny sprawled back into their booth. “Dunno how our little business would be still running if he weren’t like a bloody energy rabbit.”
“Energizer Bunny.”
Johnny waved him off. “Pfft.”
“I don’t know how you wouldn’t know that phrase. They have batteries in the UK.”
“They do. But you see, we got here an hour ago, darling.” Johnny wiggled his martini glass between two fingers.
“Here I come!” Johnny returned, juggling a glass of scotch and two more martinis.
“Tell the waitress to bring us something to eat, please. I’d like you two to still be capable of language by the time my associate gets here,” Samson said.
Ethan and Johnny fell against one another laughing helplessly. Samson rolled his eyes and went to get a menu.
Although neither man was near to sober, Samson enjoyed having the chance to simply talk with the two of them and catch up on their adventures. With their small business, they still got out and did new things. Samson found himself going out knowing exactly what would happen and how the people around him would react to each move. It made him wonder if that was why the day with April had been so enjoyable. They had explored, finding new and inspiring things together.
Samson took risks—business risks, calculated risks. However, in his personal life, he’d gotten comfortable. Maybe he needed to explore more. There was no risk in taking home some cute piece of ass whose face he probably wouldn’t see again and whose name he probably wouldn’t remember.
Johnny let out a low wolf whistle and sat up suddenly. “Good God, I think we’ve got a model in our midst, lads.”
Samson looked back to see April standing by the entrance of the bar as she scanned the seats looking for him. He could see what Johnny meant. She was wearing a perfectly-fitted emerald green drape dress, with the wrap gathered at the left side of her waist, emphasizing how petite she really was. It accentuated her body perfectly. But what really had Samson staring was her hair. It wasn’t pinned back in a librarian bun, or halfway up, or in pigtails. Her golden curls spilled down over her shoulders just as they had in his wildest fantasies.
“Over here, darling!” Ethan called. Johnny laughed as Samson gave them a stern look.
“Well, I suppose she could keep us company!” Johnny said.
“That is my employee,” Samson told them, warning laced through every word. If he wasn’t allowed to misbehave, they had better not.
Johnny and Ethan shared a glance and smiled as she came over. She walked slowly, and Samson realized that she was wearing heels rather than pumps. Lord, he would need strength to get through the night. He downed his scotch and made space for her at the table.
“How did we get so lucky!” Ethan was up to greet her before Samson had the chance to speak, but Ethan’s energy had seemed to put April at ease. She smiled warmly and introduced herself to both of them before sitting next to Samson.
“Is your business located here in Chicago?” April asked.
“Oh, no. We were just visiting the States and thought we could use some face time with our mate Sammy here,” Johnny said.
April’s eyes widened, and a wide smile crept across her face as she looked at Samson. “Sammy?”
“I am your boss.” Samson pointed at her. “You are not to call me that.”
“Aww, be a good sport!” Ethan said.
“I don’t need to.” April shrugged. “It just brightens my day to know that someone is out there calling you that.”
Samson sighed, irritated, but April seemed to be enjoying herself, so he let it pass. Ethan handed a martini to her, and soon the conversation sparked to life once again. At first, his two friends were determined to tell April their best stories involving Samson back in boarding school. However, April proved more skillful than Samson about redirecting the conversation back to business, and drew them into bragging about their shops and their vision for the company as a whole.
When she plucked a pen out of her purse and started doodling on a napkin, Samson was so proud he wanted to grab her into a hug… or maybe that was the scotch. She was holding her own, but he was beginning to wish that he hadn’t started drinking before she arrived.
Ethan pushed himself up abruptly and declared that he was going to go to their room and fetch his laptop. A moment later, Johnny laughed, said his partner had forgotten the keycard, and excused himself.
“You’re more useful tonight than I’d imagined,” Samson told her.
“They’re a handful. Maybe I should’ve encouraged them to tell me more embarrassing stories about your time as ‘schoolmates.’” April brushed her hair back, but the curls fell forward again.
“What do you think? Can we bring their disparate ideas together?”
“I think they’re going to need to cut a few things loose. But, you know. The problem is really that they jumped in without a business plan and put the capital in front of their strategy.” April swirled the olive in her drink. “If you really want to do this with them, you should devote a real meeting to it. With a real conference room, and a full team. I can help them with some design elements, but I’m no PR genius.”
“I am.”
“And modest,” she drawled, but with a smile.
Samson leaned his cheek on his fist. “Modesty has never been one of my strengths.”
“Admitting to a weakness? Your own ego?” April pulled the olive off with her teeth.
“I am human after all.”
“No? Not some towering god?”
“Don’t you mean ‘looming’?”
April sipped her martini. “Maybe. Be honest: you loom on purpose sometimes.”
“Oh, that’s absolutely true.”
April covered her mouth and shook hard with laughter. It hadn’t been that funny.
“How many of those have you had?”
“A few… and I may have made myself a Jack and Coke from the minibar.”
“Lord.” Samson moved April’s martini glass to the far side of the table.
“Nooo! We were having such a good time!”
“I would like you to continue to have a good time.”
“Oh, I would too!” April winked.
Samson pushed some water in front of her. “Enjoy this.”
April pouted, but drank the water. Samson wished she had been able to relax just by getting more comfortable with him, but things always changed after you got drunk with someone for the first time.
“Did you even eat dinner?” He reached for the appetizer tray and spread some orange fig preserves over a slice of baguette. “Here. Try this.”
April leaned forward, opened her lips, and closed her eyes. Samson felt himself growing hot as her teeth sunk into the bread. She chewed and licked her lips slowly. This little girl would be the end of him. Was it possible that she had turned into a sex kitten after just a few drinks? Or had she turned into a teasing little troll? That was far more likely.
“You’re doing this on purpose!” he accused.
“Yep.” April bounced in her seat and wiped the corner of her mouth.
Two could play at that game.
When Ethan and Johnny returned, Samson scooted closer to her, threw back another scotch, and began rubbing his toe against hers. Her cheeks pinked, but she was in the middle of looking at a series of st
orefronts that Johnny was showing her, and she managed to keep a straight face.
She returned the gesture without even looking up. He moved so close that their shoulders were touching. He could smell the sweet mix of her perfume and sweat. The tip of her shoe began trailing up his pant leg. In retaliation, Samson pushed her hair back out of her eyes, let his fingers linger, and then brushed over her cheek. Now she couldn’t help but look at him, and it seemed as though she couldn’t breathe.
Her rosy cheeks and shining eyes caused his heart to skip in his chest. Should he stop? Just because she was playing along now, keeping pace with his teasing, didn’t mean she wouldn’t be ice cold and uncomfortable in the morning. It would be too easy for him to make her feel like he was wielding his power over her unfairly. She might even leave. He couldn’t risk that.
Then, her long, dexterous fingers slipped between his thighs. They felt over the hardening lump there uncertainly. Samson’s breath caught in his throat and he stiffened all over.
Before he could react, April had excused herself and was gliding out of the bar and toward the elevator.
Chapter Seven
April’s heart was in her throat as she hurried toward the elevator. What had she just done? Of course, she was attracted to Samson. Of course, she was a little drunk. But it didn’t excuse groping her boss.
She could be fired. He could take this the wrong way, and she might have to quit. There were so many possible ways this could go wrong that as she frantically pressed the ‘up’ button, she felt tears beginning to well in her eyes. April slipped into the elevator and breathed a thankful prayer as the doors closed. She just needed to go back to her room, take a very hot shower, drink a lot of water, and hope that she could find the words for a proper apology in the morning.
But the elevator didn’t go up. The doors began to open again.
April covered her mouth with both hands. No, no, no, no…
Samson stepped in, casting a shadow over her. All six feet, five inches of him. He stared at her for a moment, brow tented, as the doors began to slide closed. April felt a shiver as she struggled to find the words to fix this, but no words came. His large hands closed over her shoulders, and she felt herself growing warm and very still.
Then, to her incredible surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her. At first, her body froze. His lips pressed against hers hungrily and his hands squeezed as he pulled her closer. Just as he began to press into her, April’s body came to life, arching upwards into his. Her leg curled around his calf and moved up and down.
One of his broad hands moved down her back and she sighed softly, opening her lips. He kissed her again, their lips meeting in sync. He went after her upper lip while she kissed his lower lip, taking it into her mouth and giving it a slow, wet suck.
His touch was somehow both gentle and wild. Was he holding back? He seemed so strong, like he could scoop her up and whisk her away. Part of her wished he would.
“Wait, wait.” April put a hand to his chest and tried to catch her breath. She realized that the elevator was rolling to a stop around her floor. “Um, do you have…?”
Samson slid his fingers back through April’s hair. “One in my wallet. More in my suite.” He kissed her again tenderly. “Would you like to come up?”
“I…”
April knew she shouldn’t. She knew having sex with her boss would be a terrible decision. At the same time, there was nothing she wanted more. Her head spun from being so close to him. He had always made her feel a little off balance. Maybe that was why she had needed to keep him at a distance.
There wasn’t a sliver of distance now, though.
“I’ll take you to your room,” Samson offered, pressing the hold button.
“No!” April grabbed his shirt and tugged him closer again.
Samson broke into the widest, most joyful grin she had ever seen. April hadn’t realized that he could manage expressions beyond scowls, smirks, and smugness.
April lifted onto her toes and lunged to kiss him again. His hands lowered even further and soon were slipping under her dress. Her back hit the wall of the elevator and her legs curled around him tight as a vice. Their bodies had been calling out for each other, in scent, in glance, in some primal language that had sung inside April for too long without an answer.
Now that answer was digging into her thigh impatiently. The muscles between her legs throbbed in anticipation, wanting the unknown that was so close now. April cupped his face as they kissed, afraid this moment would slip away from her. She had never had this, nor been close, and no matter what the consequence, she wasn’t going to push Samson away now.
Too soon, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Samson swiftly, as though well-practiced, put her down and stood in front of her so she could pull her dress down before the old men coming into the elevator could see her pink lipstick-print underwear. Samson gave them a smile and a good evening, and April reached over and took his hand.
He rubbed his thumb along the side of her hand. Heart beating mischievously, April felt a little thrill. She was a bit afraid that the interruptions would cause Samson to opt out of this, but hiding it almost made if feel more exciting.
April was about to wonder if he felt the same when the two older gentlemen stepped out onto their floor. Samson turned back to her immediately and took her to him again.
“We don’t have time—” she began.
But then his hands were under her dress again, and his fingers were sneaking underneath her pink lipstick print panties and touching her in a way no one ever had. She made a high pitched noise that caused Samson to laugh, and she gripped him tightly. He stroked along the sides of her lips firmly, eliciting little gasps as his smile turned smug once again. His fingers, so broad and long, proved to be so incredibly dexterous that when the elevator stopped again at the top she was pushing herself against his hand.
“No,” she protested when he began to pull his hand back.
“I’ve got you, my little tease.”
Samson then picked her up and carried her out of the elevator into a long hallway.
“Samson!” she laughed.
“No one is up here but us anyway,” Samson assured her. “But you liked the idea of being caught, didn’t you?”
April wrapped her arms around Samson’s neck and nodded shamefully as he carried her into his suite. It was expansive, to say the least. The colors and furnishing were sharp and modern and the colors muted. The suite was practically an apartment. Her eyes roamed over the gray and cream décor as Samson began devouring her neck.
“Put me down,” she murmured.
“Mmm.”
They glided through a den, past a black and white marble kitchen and an office, and into a gorgeous bedroom with a king-sized bed. He dropped her back on the bed. Her chest grew tight as he climbed over her with a hungry look in his eyes. Was she ready for this?
He cradled the back of her head with his hand and kissed her forehead. “Do you want to stop?”
“No,” she said before she could stop herself.
Samson grinned and reached over the nightstand. A small square rapper appeared, and he tossed it on the bed before starting to unbutton his shirt.
“What’s that?” she propped herself onto her elbows.
Samson chuckled and pulled his belt off with a jerk. “Safety first.”
“Safety?” She picked it up and blinked at the Trojan symbol. “Oh.”
That should’ve been obvious. She was going to give herself away. Should she just tell him that she’d never done this before?”
But suddenly, Samson was naked in front of her, a paragon of raw sexuality. Sleek, strong, and completely erect. Her eyes grew so wide that they smarted. His body was beyond belief. April covered her mouth with her fingers. He laughed and stood with his hands on his hips, waggling his brows.
“See something you like, sweetheart?” he said as he rolled on the condom.
“I can honestly say… Holy fuck!”
Samson boomed with laughter and moved in to push her dress up again.
April kicked her shoes off. “Your shoe size must be insane.”
His fingers hooked under the hem of her panties and tugged them down. She wiggled her hips and bit her lip, heart pounding so fast she felt he hand to hear it. Within seconds, his eyes were roaming over her naked thighs, her naked… Well, one of her foster mothers had only ever referred to it as a cookie.
His hands rubbed over her thighs and he smiled as he met her eye reassuringly, as though he would always take care of her. She took a deep breath and slipped her dress over her head. He let out a whistle and leaned over to pepper a series of kisses up her abs, and then, after deftly unhooking her bra, gently cupped her right breast and began kissing there as well.
Each kiss, firm yet tender, made her quiver just a bit more. She could feel the twitching between her thighs as his gentle ministrations brought the heat in her to a rolling boil. Her hips bucked, needing this feeling to either escalate or stop, and she did not want him to stop. She wanted his kisses to devour her whole.
A moan rose into the air. She’d never felt anything close to this. But just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, his fingers returned to the crevice between her legs. Warmth welled up and overflowed and pleasure shot through her whole body.
“Oh, oh my, oh God,” she babbled.
Samson’s hands gripped her hips. “We haven’t even gotten started.”
April let her head fall back, staring at the ceiling as she panted, and spread her legs. He pulled her hips forward, and she felt him enter her. His girth stretched her almost uncomfortably.
“Ah! Samson…”
“I’ll go slow, dear. Trust me.”
“I trust you.”
He held her as he began to move his hips. Slowly at first, and as she relaxed and wrapped her legs around him, he began to pump. He pressed close to her as he did so, kissing her intermittently and whispering sweetly about how good she felt and how much he’d wanted her.
