by Emelia Blair
Lucas glares at me. “Of course, I do.”
I prop my right elbow on the marble desk and rest my chin in the palm of my hand, fluttering my lashes coquettishly. “So do it.”
He looks towards the elevator in an almost desperate manner before turning back to look at me. I can see him racking his brain for an excuse to get him out of this situation. Finally, he fingers the tie and says, “I would, but this tie is the one I wore yesterday. I’m going to change in the office. So, maybe some other time.”
I pretend to look surprised. “Why were you wearing a tie yesterday? It was Sunday. I remember you saying you had no plans. Do you always dress so formally at home?”
For a top tier lawyer, Lucas sure is losing this argument. He gives me a disgruntled look. “Why are you so interested in my tie, anyways?”
I smile vaguely. “I just am.” Then, I give him a mocking look. “Could it be that you really don’t know how to—?”
“I don’t, okay!” He growls, finally, his tone holding traces of frustration and embarrassment. “If you’re so good at it, why don’t you do it for me?”
“Okay.” So without thinking, I reach for the two ends of the blue tie dangling from his neck and pull him around the desk until he’s standing in front of me.
Lucas’ eyes widen in shock and my own reaction is not any less unsettling. My heart is pounding madly at how bold I’m being.
However, there is no turning back.
My fingers hook in the silk material.
He asks softly, “Are you going to tie it for me?”
I tilt my chin to meet his gaze and there is something so adoring in it that I feel like it’s getting harder to breathe. I hold his gaze for a few long seconds and the shift of emotion in his eyes is as clear as rain.
There’s something darker lurking behind his sharp blue eyes.
My hands clench in the material I’m holding and my breath hitches.
“Elise,” my name is a murmur on his tongue.
I’m mesmerized by the way he’s just watching me quietly, not moving, not making any gesture. But it’s the hunger in his eyes that makes me want to sink into him, to let him put his hands on me and do whatever he likes.
I’ve never met a man that makes me feel so uninhibited.
Even though he’s not doing anything right now, we both know he can and I won’t stop him…. I can’t
“Elise…” Lucas’s voice is hoarse. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll find it really hard to control myself.”
The pleading in his tone has me swallowing and I take a small step back. I lower my head until my eyes are level with his tie. “Yeah. Sorry.” My fingers move, deftly creating loops.
Lucas doesn’t move, his eyes lingering on my face.
When I’m done, I secure the knot but my hands don’t move.
He doesn’t say anything and neither do I. The air feels like it’s snapping with electricity, unbridled desire and need filling the silence between us. My breaths are shallow.
I feel his hands come to rest on my waist and then he’s leaning down and his breath is hot against my lips, making me tremble.
With just a bare inch or two between our lips, he murmurs, “May I?”
My hands act of their own accord as my grip on his tie tightens and I’m tugging him forward, our mouths meeting with a desperate craving. My lips part automatically and his tongue sweeps in.
His hands come around my waist and then his fingers are on my back as he keeps smoothing them down as if trying to put each curve to memory. His mouth is skilled and he’s clever with his tongue, licking me, sucking on my tongue, biting on my lower lip until I let out a little cry.
Then, one of his hands reaches for my hair… he grabs a handful of it and his grip is firm, leaving me helpless. He tugs my head back forcefully and my lower abdomen tightens at the move. He gives me a dangerous smile before his mouth descends on my neck. He’s sucking and licking, making me sigh out his name, as my eyes flutter closed.
When he bites, the sharp sting makes me whimper. Then his tongue is soothing it, and he presses wet kisses up my neck, along my jaw until he finds my mouth again. This time his kiss is almost punishing and I can do nothing but give in to his demands. He takes what he wants and then he takes some more.
I can feel the wetness between my legs growing and I rub my legs together, a wanton sound escaping my lips.
I feel his lips curve against mine in what is definitely a smug smile and I know. He’s going to be a demanding lover in the bedroom.
And I can’t wait.
The thought startles me into waking up from this lust hazed dream, tossing me into cold reality. Was I really just thinking of sleeping with Lucas?
Lucas gentles his hold on me. Now his kisses are soft and gentle until he releases me.
My breathing is harsh and I can already tell my lipstick is ruined. My legs feel weak now.
His hands come to rest on my shoulder, dragging me out of my thoughts, his tone is firm, “Nothing happens without your consent, Elise. I’ll wait for however long you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
I close my eyes and feel as if something heavy is resting on my heart. Leaning forward, I rest my head on his chest, the physical contact soothing me. “Lucas, I don’t know. There’s—a lot you don’t know. I want to – with you…” My words are coming out all wrong as I find myself unable to explain myself. “B-but I don’t want to be—”
Lucas cuts off my words, his hands cupping my face. He studies me intently, and then says in a gentle tone that pierces my heart, “Take some time. Sort your thoughts out. Then, come find me.” He then releases me and leans down to brush his lips against my cheeks in a sweet kiss. “Thanks for helping me with my tie. We should make a habit of it.” He winks at me and laughs when my face flushes with heat.
As he walks away, I hear the automatic sliding doors of the entrance close. I turn to look over but there’s no one there.
I feel uneasy but my mind is full of other distracting thoughts, so I let it go.
9
Lucas
With Oliver changing his contract terms, and the three companies that Caleb is acquiring, I’ve been knee deep in paperwork for the whole of the following week. I come in early and leave well after midnight.
Caleb, the ruthless bastard, is least sympathetic to my plight. If I didn’t have that kiss from Elise to fuel my soul, I would have been extremely irritated by just seeing her for a minute in the mornings.
The issue with Debra and Riley is at least resolved so that’s one thing off my chest.
I know I’ve not gotten enough sleep for the past few days. Just now, I lay on the long couch in my office, my shoes kicked off, my tie tossed somewhere in the room and my first three buttons of the shirt popped open. One arm is behind my head as I scratch my hair, idly, while the other is holding up a contract as I read the lines over and over again, looking for loopholes.
My legs are too long for the couch, so my crossed ankles are resting on the arm at the other end of the couch. I’m wearing mismatched socks and I wiggle my toes, absentmindedly.
It’s dark outside and I realize it’s been an hour since the office building emptied out. I wonder if Elise is home now with Sophie.
I smile at the thought of Sophie.
The little tyke has a carved a space in my heart just for her.
I’m quite pleased with the progress between Elise and me as well. She’s become comfortable with me, perhaps because she’s aware of some measure of my feelings for her, now. I do delight in the way she gets so bold at times. The whole thing over the tie had come out of nowhere and although I recognized her attempt at getting back at me, in the end, I walked away with the prize.
I’m not surprised she’s hesitant at the idea of jumping into bed with me or even entering into a relationship right now. I might not know the complete details of what happened between her and Darren but I know enough to realize it wasn’t completely consensual even if she trie
s to tell herself otherwise for her own peace of mind.
I want to find Darren Hall and cut off his dick with the bluntest instrument I can find in the office. A copy of Elise’s contract with him is on my phone, when I took pictures of it at her apartment.
I don’t give a shit about invading her privacy about this.
The contract is extremely thorough and very one-sided, aimed to cause maximum damage to her.
I don’t understand why though.
Why go through all of this to harass her just because she refused to abort the child?
There’s something else going on that I don’t know about.
But I haven’t found anything in the contract I can use against Darren and nor have I found a way to get it rescinded in court. I have a meeting with a friend of mine who’s a judge and usually presides over family court cases, in about two weeks when he returns from his vacation.
So, in the meantime I’m steering clear of Darren because I have a feeling I might lose control and beat him within an inch of his life. There are better ways to handle this slime.
Sighing loudly, I glance at the wall clock and wonder if Debra has picked up our mother from the airport. After forcibly sending her on a world cruise to get her away from Leon’s influence as he knows, getting to our mother is the easiest way to integrate himself into the family.
Mom has always had a soft heart.
Now that her cruise is over, she will be busy with the wedding preparations. She’s staying with Debra and I’m more comfortable with that rather than both my sister and my mother staying in their own apartments, making them easy targets for my father to manipulate. Together though, they’re so intent on protecting each other, it would make it difficult for Leon to get money out of either of them.
He’s called me a number of times, asking me about the wedding details.
I’ve warned Debra not to invite him. And now Riley knows as well.
But I have a feeling in my gut that it won’t be enough to stop a man like our father. I still don’t know exactly what he’s after.
I turn my attention back to the document at hand and toss away the distracting thoughts. I ignore the pangs of hunger that strike me and my brow is furrowed as I go through the details.
It’s the sound of my office door opening that has me looking over.
My brows rise even higher when I see who it is.
Elise is standing at the door, peeking in. When she meets my gaze, she smiles, hesitantly. “Can I come in?”
I immediately straighten up from my sprawled position and swing my legs around so I’m sitting upright. “Yeah. Come in.”
Wearing a relieved expression on her face, she enters and she’s carrying some containers in her hands. “Do you want to have dinner with me?”
I feel surprised. “Didn’t you go home? Where’s Sophie?”
Elise’s lips curve in a soft smile. “Well, I asked Kendall to babysit her for a few hours. I’ve been a bit worried about you. You’ve been working late for so many days and I know you’ve been skipping meals.” She sets the containers down. “It’s not much and it’s definitely not fresh. I cooked it in the morning. But I heated everything.”
As she removes the lids, steam emits from the food and the delicious scent wafts through the air, making my stomach rumble and my mouth water.
I’m so absurdly touched by her gesture. I’ve always been the caretaker in the family, looking after both Mom and Debra, having it done for me so out of the blue, leaves me speechless for a while. I’m almost paralyzed with happiness and it takes me a few seconds to realize Elise is saying something. “Huh? Sorry, I was just looking at the food.” I smile sheepishly.
Elise doesn’t look bothered, and she continues, “I was saying that we never got to go on our date. So, maybe this can be it.”
I laugh. “Well, this certainly counts as a date. But we have no music and I promised myself, I’d take you dancing.” With an afterthought, I reach for my laptop and put on some jazzy tunes. Grinning, I waggle my brows. “Got the music.”
Elise just chuckles as she hands me a plate and utensils.
I get a close look at her face. She looks relaxed and happy but there is a strain in her eyes, a lingering unhappiness that my sharp gaze doesn’t miss. Before she can retreat, I grasp her delicate wrist. “What’s wrong?”
She tugs her wrist free. “Let’s eat and maybe today, instead of dancing, we can talk.” She comes and sits next to me, our thighs brushing each other.
I’m not going to press her until she’s ready so I pick up my plate to put some of the potato salad and pasta on it. “Thank you for this.” My words are earnest and heartfelt.
She beams at me. “Well, I’ve kind of missed you. And you keep getting all these sweets delivered to my desk every day which just makes me miss your company even more.” She shoots me a narrow look. “You’re a devious man.”
I bump her shoulder with mine. “And yet, here you are.”
She smiles widely. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
We eat in a companionable silence which is sometimes broken when she tells me about something or the other that Sophie did this past week.
It’s the most pleasant meal I’ve had the entire week.
As she gets up to retrieve bottled water from the tiny fridge in the corner, my eyes fall to her skirt.
Although it’s a long one, as she moves, it lifts a little and I catch a glimpse of her ankle which is swollen badly, almost as if she sprained it or something. That’s also when I notice that her gait isn’t exactly steady and she’s walking slower than usual.
I feel a coldness settle in my body and suddenly the food that had been bursting with flavor, now tastes like ash in my mouth.
“What the fuck is that?” I’m striding over to her before the words are even out of my mouth and gently maneuver her startled form to the couch.
When she realizes what I’m talking about, she struggles in my hold.
I ignore her and push up her skirt, just enough so I can see her ankle.
“It’s not as bad as it looks!” She exclaims, quickly.
I shoot her a look which is blazing with anger. “It looks like you have a sprain.”
“It’s from three days ago and it’s not that bad, actually. I fell but the doctor gave me some pain medication and I try staying off my leg mostly. Now with the added help at the main desk, it’s easier to do so as well.”
“Three days?” I echo. “You never mentioned…” I trail off and it hits me that if it had been a normal thing, she would have brought it up and laughed at her clumsiness. But the fact she hadn’t, probably meant it wasn’t an accident. “Elise,” I say in a warning tone.
She sighs. “I had to deliver some urgent documents to the third floor that had just arrived and I was about to exit the elevator which was full. I tripped.”
When she fell silent, I felt like this wasn’t the complete story, so I narrowed my eyes at her. “How do you trip in an elevator full of people?”
She hesitates then admitted, “Someone stuck their leg out. I don’t know this for sure. But I was walking fine and out of nowhere, I saw someone I was passing, and I tumbled over her leg. I grazed my palms a bit but my ankle got a little hurt.”
“Give me a name.” My tone is harsh and menacing.
Elise meets my gaze evenly even as she shakes under the force of it. “I was too busy falling down to take a look around.”
When I don’t budge, she says, “What would you do, Lucas? Go beat them up?” When my eyes flash at her words, in agreement, she tries to tug her leg out of my hands, unsuccessfully, all the while insisting, “I’m trying to keep a low profile as long as I have Sophie with me here. Once she’s in daycare, I’ll try to sort these things out.” She sighs. “Lucas, you have to understand; everyone here already thinks that I’m hell bent on seducing you since I can’t have Darren. You’re standing up for me or creating a scene on my behalf will only make this whole thing worse. If they attac
k me to my face, I don’t take it lying down.”
“You’re being harassed, Elise!”
“And you want me to report it to HR? What can Lana do? Post it on the bulletin board: Picking on Elise can result in suspension? Think about it. There is no hard evidence. It’s my word against theirs and even that aside, I don’t know who the person was.”
I release my grip on her foot and start pacing, angrily.
Why is it that lately every situation being thrown my way seems that it can’t be handled with my abilities alone?
“Is this how you behave on a date?”
Elise’s loud statement makes me stop and glance at her.
She looks annoyed. “I’m not going to stop living my life just because some people still think this is high school. It took me a lot of effort to cook today and I want to spend some time with you and you’re just sulking because I’m not letting you beat up some women.”
“I wouldn’t beat them up,” I mutter. “Get them permanently unemployed is more like it.”
“You’re not stooping to their level,” Elise tells me, calmly, and pats the seat next to her. “I want Sophie to look up to you and I can’t have her go around screaming ‘revenge’ every time something bad happens. So, come here.”
I see a flash of confidence in this woman, a confidence that’s been missing from her gaze for a while now. And I’m helpless against her command, so I go and sit by her. I suddenly turn around and put my head in her lap, stretching out on the remaining couch. “I haven’t slept properly for a few days,” I say, slyly. “Maybe you’d let me catch some shut eye? “
I peek at her and she’s blushing but instead of saying no, like I had expected, she instead runs her fingers through my hair in a soothing manner, her blunt nails scratching my scalp in a way that relaxes me. “I’ll watch over you.”
Her words are steady and I can see she’s not kidding. Her hair is unfurled and I wrap one strand around my finger, playing with it, this tightness in my chest making me suddenly want to hold her in my arms. I can feel her fingers combing through my hair and the soothing rhythm of it is almost lulling. The exhaustion of the past few days takes me over.
