“I’m not wearing those today,” she said when he moved his kisses from her jaw to her neck. “Which doesn’t matter because we should not be talking about this, Daniel, or doing this.” The fact that her head fell back was not helping her argument.
“Then don’t talk,” he said as his hand traveled to the hem of her skirt and then under, lifting it as he skimmed her legs on his way to her waist. “I like feeling your heat through all these layers.”
She gasped as he cupped her pussy, knowing she was getting wetter and there was no way he wouldn’t notice. It was as if having lost control with him once, she couldn’t stop herself from doing it again.
Past coherent thought, except for being grateful her office had frosted windows and they couldn’t be seen, Lena let her hands come around his waist, caressing the muscles of his back. She’d loved the strength of him when they were in bed together and never expected to have another opportunity to touch him. She moved one hand to the front, unbuttoning a second button on his shirt so she could touch the warmth of his skin. Breathing in his unique scent, something like oil paint mixed with sandalwood, she surrendered to the sensations of touching him and being touched. A week of fantasies had nothing on reality. She groaned, knowing she was lost.
“You drive me wild, Lena,” he growled against her as he lifted her onto her desk. Standing between her spread legs, he continued to stroke her through her clothes. “You’re so responsive, so ready to let go and be pleased.”
Ready to let go. That was the last thing she believed herself to be. Yet she was seconds from living her fantasy of sex on the desk. With a man who was twelve years her junior. Sanity returned. “Daniel, please, I can’t do this. We shouldn’t do this. You’re a consultant. I’m your employer.”
“I’m hardly going to complain.”
Logic wasn’t working and if he continued to touch her, she was going to give in. She was halfway there already. Clearly part of her needed this, craved this, and for the first time her emotions were not taking orders from her brain. The heat between her legs was now running the show.
Every sane thought in his head told Daniel he should stop, but he was only a few kisses away from being able to ignore those thoughts entirely. She claimed she wasn’t ready, but he was aching to show her how ready she truly was.
“Let me please you,” he said and kissed her before she could respond. He wasn’t going to give her time to think too much. He needed her to see she couldn’t ignore him—or her reaction to him.
Because Alice was annoyed with him for disappearing from his opening, she refused to help him connect with Lena’s company as a means of marketing his art. Still, he was committed to seeing her again. When Michelle called he was thrilled, even though he’d never before considered contributing his art for such a commercial venue. He had no idea what he was doing, but to be near Lena, he didn’t care. He was determined to make this account a success and even more determined to make Lena get past their age difference. He didn’t know why he was so certain there was the potential for something special between them, but he trusted his instincts.
His fingers teased the waistband of her black bikini panties and dipped in to caress the soft skin beneath. She shuddered, and he knew he’d find her wet for him. Part of him wanted to linger, to make her ache more, but he didn’t have time for that today.
Moving lower, he slid his hand inside her panties and toward her pussy. The pantyhose made it more challenging than the thigh-highs she wore last time, but also kept his touch close. He stroked the tight curls which alerted him he was nearing her core, and when he felt the split of her swollen lips he stretched a finger out to reach her engorged clit.
Now she moaned and bucked under him, trying to maintain her balance as he stroked and massaged the sensitive flesh. Wanting to please her more, he moved his hand farther into her panties. When her legs fell open he knew she was his to enjoy.
As soon as he touched her, his fingers were slick from her arousal and need. Without giving her warning he pushed two fingers completely inside her. She was tight and the intrusion stretched and stimulated her. When she squeaked against his mouth, he deepened the kiss, his tongue imitating the actions of his fingers. He made a circle in her mouth and in her pussy, touching every inch of her sensitive walls. He played with her tongue in a flicking motion and did the same below. More groans escaped her lips as her nails dug into his shoulders. He wished he could find the inner spot that drove her mad but since it would require space he didn’t have, he returned his thumb to her clit, focusing his attention on the hard nub as he continued to finger-fuck her.
Did she know how wet she was for him? Was she aware of how beautiful she was in her passion? God, he wanted to show her.
Lena’s head fell back, breaking their kiss, and her eyes met his. Her pupils were dilated. She was breathing fast, her lips swollen and slack from passion. In this setting she wouldn’t cry out her pleasure, but that wasn’t going to stop Daniel. Instead, he intensified his strokes as he watched her topple over the edge. She let out a strangled string of “oh no, oh yes” and gripped him so tightly he wondered if she’d make half-moon marks with her nails through his shirt. It would be worth it.
He held her close as her breathing slowed, then eased his fingers out of her body and her clothes. He licked them. “You taste so sweet.”
She blinked as if coming out of a dream. “That…” she started.
“Was wonderful,” he said.
“Shouldn’t have happened.”
“But it did. You wanted it and I wanted to give it to you.”
“Which doesn’t make it a good idea.” She fiddled with her clothes and smoothed her hair as she tried to regain a professional appearance. He could have told her it was useless. And she looked better flushed. “I should have stopped you.”
“You didn’t want me to stop.”
“I should have anyway.”
“Aren’t you in a ‘should-y’ mood.” She didn’t smile so he continued, “Don’t you ever let yourself get carried away?”
“No, I prefer being sensible.”
“Then it’s no wonder you haven’t had more orgasms with a man.” Stepping back he adjusted his clothes and left without another word.
* * * * *
For the next several days she kept busy, wrapping up one client’s project while beginning to work with Daniel in short blocks of time on the Golden account. He would show her a sketch or an idea, she would offer suggestions then try to get back to her office as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, her core would clench in memory every time she walked into her space, and it was an effort to sit at her desk and not remember Daniel’s fingers buried inside her.
They had to work together no matter her discomfort, although she worked to mitigate the issue by having someone from the marketing team join her whenever possible, to prevent herself from being alone with him. To add to her frustration, Daniel seemed to be able to keep his desires under wraps so she couldn’t tell if he was struggling as much as she.
In addition, the more time they spent together, the more she learned what a complex and exciting man Daniel was. Each interaction revealed something she admired and liked. He had vision, creativity, a sense of humor and was a surprisingly good collaborator, a rare talent in an artist. But no matter how focused on business their conversation was, Lena frequently needed to force her mind back on the project when it wandered to more sensual thoughts.
It was clear to Lena she needed a social and a sex life. After they won the Golden account and the company was solid again—she needed to think positively—she would ask Michelle for help with her dating life. She’d place herself in her friend’s capable manicured hands and start having fun again.
* * * * *
After a week of work and with only ten days to go until their presentation, the team didn’t feel they’d hit on the campaign they wanted to bring to Golden. Lena was feeling frustrated and frightened when an instant message popped up on her computer scr
een with Daniel’s name at the top. “Have you had dinner yet?”
“No,” she typed back. “Guess it’s another night of ordering in.”
“If you’re ready to leave for the day, I know a great Italian place nearby where we could go.”
Her stomach growled at the invitation. She was tired of using her desk like a dining room table. It made her a little nervous to have dinner alone with him, but a public place was probably safe.
Safe. Why was she always worrying about being safe? Without thinking any more about it she responded, “Sounds good.”
“I’m ready when you are,” he replied.
Her body tingled and before her brain could stop her, she wrote, “Yes, I’ve noticed that about you.”
He sent her back a smiley face icon and said, “Meet you at the door in five.”
She saved the files she was working in, threw other work into her bag and headed to the lobby. When he wasn’t there she walked to the large office he was using as his studio. Organized chaos reigned. Paper, pencils, charcoals and pastels covered every available surface, except a couch, which she knew he lay on to brainstorm new ideas. Concepts ideas were tacked onto the walls and decorated with Post-it notes of comments and suggestions.
“You always were creative,” she said, unwittingly referring to their history.
“You remember?” His gray eyes held hers and she couldn’t look away. It was unnerving.
“I do,” she said, looking anywhere but at him. “Whatever materials I gave you to try, you dove in. First you’d use them the way they were meant to be used, then you’d do different things.”
“Which didn’t turn out very well with the papier-mâché.”
She laughed and sat down on a chair by his desk. “That’s right. I almost forgot. I think the floor is still lumpy from that little experiment. Of course, once I gave you the camera and showed you the dark room, everything else disappeared.”
“When I find what I like I have a tendency to stay with it.”
Lena swallowed. He wasn’t discussing photography or his work. She should change the subject or try for a funny comeback, but nothing came to her. Except the image of him focusing his attention on her body. Naked. Open. Wet and ready for him. A flush starting at her cheeks traveled over her body, heating her and making it difficult not to squirm in her seat.
“Are you okay?” His question pulled her out of her imaginings.
“Yes, sorry. I got distracted. I was,” she was reaching for something, anything to say that wouldn’t embarrass her, “thinking if there was something in the creative process itself we could connect with the process of choosing and putting on makeup.” She hoped that sounded right. Her brain was too muddled to be certain.
He gave her a knowing smile. “Hungry? Let’s get out of here.”
Nope, she thought, she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding her thoughts from him. Not in the least.
* * * * *
Daniel had no doubt of Lena’s attraction to him, but he also saw clearly that this sweet, sensual woman had a tendency to be skittish, an unexpected trait he found endearing. He loved a challenge.
For dinner he brought her to an Italian place two blocks over and down a small flight of stairs. He’d discovered it accidently and had been a regular ever since. They knew him well and the owner’s wife fed him as if he were one of her children. Inside, it was bright enough so it wasn’t threatening but dark enough to give them the privacy he wanted.
Over antipasto and fresh manicotti they discussed the history of Golden Cosmetics, what made them successful so far and what might bring them new customers and create the biggest buzz in the future. By the end of the meal they were talking over each other, jotting notes on napkins and racing back to the office to see if there was anything new that could lead to the “that’s it” they needed.
Three hours later, they were still struggling to get it right. “We are so close,” she said. “I can feel it.”
“But we haven’t found it,” he said, running his hands through his hair.
“Maybe we should call it a night.”
He looked at his watch. “In a few more hours we can call it a day. It’s after one.”
She fell back against his couch. Her shoes were in a corner, her makeup long rubbed off but she managed to find the energy to wad up another piece of paper and toss it at the waste paper bin.
“Two points,” Daniel said when it fell neatly in the basket.
“Great, at least I’m successful at something tonight.”
He heard the pain in her voice. “We’re going to get this, Lena.”
“I’m not so sure anymore. At first, when all the ideas were bubbling I was certain this was going to be a smooth process. Then every time we step away from it, or show it to someone new, we don’t get the connection or reaction we want. I’m running out of energy. And hope. The company needs this account. I don’t want to think about what will happen if we don’t get it.”
Daniel left his drafting table and joined her on the couch, pulling her into his arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. Her leaning on him without a struggle or stiffening told him how concerned she was. “We’re going to get this. We’re going to find that combination of magic and buzzworthy images.”
“Buzzworthy?” She turned to look at him.
“Not a word?”
“Not as far as I know,” she said.
“Well, it should be. Something worthy of being buzzed about. Seems like a reasonable new expression to me.”
“I’m sure if we start using it in the right places, it will be in no time.”
He kissed the top of her head. “The struggle is a good sign. It’s because we’re determined to create something amazing and we’re not willing to settle for anything less. We’ve come up with some great ideas. Heck, we’ve got enough material to make five companies happy.”
“But not necessarily to break into this one.”
Placing his hand under her chin, he lifted her face so he could look at her. “We will find it. We’ll create it, and it will be magic.” The look in her eyes touched him. He understood all she was feeling—fear, frustration and the desire to get it right. Without thinking he leaned forward and kissed her.
It was a slow kiss and he let it linger, giving her the opportunity to pull away, even if he didn’t want her to. She was the one who deepened it, opening his mouth with her tongue and bringing them closer. He didn’t wait for her to change her mind.
After so many days of either trying to ignore or fight her attraction to him, Lena was more than ready to give in. She wanted his kisses, his touch. She wanted to melt in his arms the way she had on that first night and get completely carried away by the feelings he brought out in her.
Before her brain could suggest something logical that could distract her, she undid the buttons on his polo shirt and took it off over his head. Running her hands over his chest, she reveled in the feel of muscle and skin, the hair that was unique to him, which she traced down his stomach to where it disappeared beneath his belt. She kissed his jaw then his neck as he worked on getting her blouse off.
Her bra followed soon after and she leaned back to let him touch her more. She threaded her hands through his hair as he kissed and licked his way to her breasts, teasing and sucking her nipples, making them hard, making her want more.
He seemed to know what she was thinking because as he continued to arouse her, his hands were busy undoing the zipper on the side of her pants. The sound as it slid down her thigh made her shiver, but not as much as she did a moment later when he removed them along with her underwear. She couldn’t remember ever being stripped so quickly.
“God, you’re beautiful, Lena,” he said. “I could spend hours painting you, longer, and still never manage to capture how incredible you are.”
His words sent a rush of pleasure through her but before she could say anything, his fingers were on her pussy and instead of telling him her thoughts, she showed him as
she wet his fingers with her need. Any additional foreplay was unnecessary—she was ready for him.
Unfortunately, he enjoyed tormenting her and instead of letting her strip him, he moved onto the floor, turning her hips toward him. As he covered her pussy with his mouth, he inserted two fingers inside her, making her gasp from the intensity of the sensations. Lena gripped the couch and looked down, blushing to see him enjoying her body in a way she’d never experienced. She was used to sex in a bedroom with dim or no lighting. This was new.
And thrilling.
Lying naked on the couch she felt exposed and vulnerable, but thrilled beyond anything she could remember. Her heart raced and her skin tingled as her passion built. His mouth and fingers seemed to find every sensitive part and perhaps create new ones. She was on fire.
“Come for me, my sweet. I want to taste your passion,” he said and his tongue swirled around her clit then flicked repeatedly over the swollen bud, bringing on her climax faster and harder than she expected. There was no soft buildup, just a surge of intensity. As it swept through her she arched up and he grabbed her hips, bringing her closer to him. She could feel him drinking her in and melting truly seeming like the only option.
He kept his fingers inside her, stroking her, making her orgasm last. With his other hand he took his wallet out of his pants pocket, then got rid of the pants and his briefs. He stopped touching her only to take the condom out and put it on.
“Tell me what you want,” he said.
“You. Inside of me.”
And before she could take another breath he was.
Fantasies and vibrators were nothing compared to the real thing. Lena wrapped her legs around him and brought him as close as she could, pulling his mouth to hers, wanting there to be no space between them. He ground his hips against hers and she reveled in the feel of him completely inside her.
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