by Krista Lakes
I worked for what felt like the entire day, but found that it was barely lunch time. It wasn’t even noon, yet I was exhausted. Looking around the small room, I had barely made a dent. I felt like putting my head in my hands and crying. And then taking a nap.
“Knock knock,” came a familiar voice at my door.
I looked up to see Henry standing in my doorway carrying a large brown paper bag. He was truly my white knight today.
“You’re here!” I cried, standing up quickly from my table and running over to greet him. This time, I knew how to greet him.
I kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my body up against his. He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me into his embrace while still holding the bag of food with his other hand.
“If I had known that would be your reaction, I would have come with food a long time ago,” he teased once I pulled back slightly. He kept his arm around me, though, not wanting to let me go.
“I thought you said you couldn’t come,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m so glad you did.”
He kissed my cheek. “I couldn’t stay away.”
The way he looked at me with those blue eyes made heat flutter from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes. It was like being covered with sunshine and wrapped in rainbows when he looked at me.
“Come sit down and we’ll eat. I can grab another chair from next door,” I told him, turning and motioning to my table. I took a step and moved a box to clear a path. “It’s kind of messy in here, but...”
“I can’t stay.” Henry’s smile faded. “I snuck out of a meeting and when Liam finds out, he’s going to murder me.”
“You’re not staying?” I repeated, not wanting to understand.
He shook his head and set the food down on the table. He put both hands on my shoulders, his eyes going to mine. “But I wanted to see you. I needed to see you, especially because of the way I had to leave last night.”
I tried to keep my face from falling, but it was like Christmas was canceled. I didn’t care about the food. I cared about Henry.
“When can I see you again?” I asked. My voice came out softer and full of the sadness I was trying to keep contained. “Because I want more than just a delivery service.”
The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly. “Soon. I’m hoping that when I get back to my brother, some of my work will be sorted and I will get some free time again.”
I nodded, unsure of when I would have free time again.
“How long until you have to leave?” I asked.
He looked down at his watch. “I was supposed to leave three minutes ago.”
“Damn.”
He made no move to go, so I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him again. The familiar heat began to grow, aching in my middle for so much more than just a kiss. I knew that it couldn’t happen, yet I let myself pretend for just a moment.
He pulled back, panting slightly. “You’re going to make me so late.”
But he put his hand in my hair and kissed me again, telling me that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. I loved the way his tongue moved with mine, the way his lips caressed mine. He knew how to kiss better than anyone I’d ever met.
His phone started to go off. The ring was loud and noisy, set to sound like an alarm clock going off.
“Wow,” I said, pulling back. “That is a loud ring tone.”
Henry sighed. “My brother’s idea. Since I yelled at him for sending Andre to do his dirty work, he said I needed to listen to my phone more. This was our compromise.”
I winced as the sound continued. He pulled it out and rolled his eyes.
“Yes, king brother?”
I could hear his brother on the other end, but I couldn’t make out any of the words.
“I have no idea what you mean,” Henry said into the phone. “I don’t know why you can’t find me. Go to the conference room and I’ll be there in just a minute.” He hung up the phone.
“You have to go, don’t you?” I asked, hating the unsatisfied ache in my middle.
He nodded. “I do.” But he didn’t move.
Instead, he kissed me one more time until the annoying ring started up again. He hit silence with a grimace. “That’s going to get me in trouble later,” he said. He pointed to the bag of food. “I got you macaroni and cheese since you said you liked noodles. There’s more downstairs with Gus for the rest of the office.”
“Wait. You’re on first name basis with Gus now?” I asked, surprised that my surrogate father would approve of any male in a five foot radius of me.
“He likes me now that I brought him food.” Henry shrugged like it was nothing. “That and I promised to treat you like a princess. And that he could kill me if I didn’t.”
I giggled. “I’m glad that you two have come to an understanding.”
“Yeah. That I’m a dead man if I make you sad,” he agreed. He smiled at me, his blue eyes bright. “Which isn’t going to happen.”
I smiled. “Except you have to leave now. Which will make me sad.”
“Then I am utterly screwed because my brother really will murder me if I don’t come back,” he said with a laugh. “I have to go.”
“I know.” I kissed him, softer and sweeter this time. “Thank you for lunch.”
“Always,” he replied. He snuck one last kiss before ducking away and escaping out of my office.
I stared after him, his kiss still sweet on my lips. I felt warm and loved. I glanced over at the brown bag, knowing that my coworkers were going to be thrilled. I was going to be the hero of the office and he was giving me all the credit.
He really was the best part of my day.
Chapter 12
I worked until I couldn't keep my eyes open. There was just too much for me to do and not nearly enough time to do two jobs. I managed to grab five hours of sleep at home before returning to the office the next day. I was coming up short with my research and behind on my scanning all at the same time. It was like doing two full time jobs at the same time and my brain hurt with the effort it took.
I worked the entire day, juggling research and my real job. Luckily, Henry kept texting me and making me smile as I worked. Yet again, he had found a way to bring sunshine into my day.
I ate leftovers from the day before for lunch. Henry had brought enough food to feed the office twice over. I just munched on amazing macaroni and cheese instead of worrying about finding an actual lunch. It was obviously made from scratch and probably going to clog my arteries, but it was free and tasted good.
Five o'clock came and went. I watched from my window as the worker bees filed out of the various buildings around mine and disappeared into buses or walked to the train station. I was staying late. Again. I'd already informed security that I'd be working.
I sighed and turned away from the window.
I had managed to almost get ahead on the scanning. Since I'd basically worked through lunch, I was ahead of schedule. I wondered if I should go out and grab something for dinner, or maybe have it delivered. There was enough macaroni and cheese that I could eat that all night, but I wasn't sure how good that would be for my heart.
I looked around at the boxes. I still had so much work to do here, not to mention the research for Anastasia. It looked like a sleepless night of working for me. If I stayed here, then I wouldn't have commute time. It seemed like a good idea to stay the night.
I set my shoulders and settled down to work my butt off. The work came easily tonight and I found myself cruising through it.
“Knock, knock.”
I looked up from my computer, still in a daze of concentration, to see Henry standing in my door.
“Henry?” I was sure he had to be a mirage. I stood up, needing to touch him and make sure he was real. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
If I had, I would have worn something prettier. I would have fixed my makeup and run a brush through my hair. I would have worn sexy underwear.
/> “I managed to convince my brother to give me the night off,” he replied. He held up a picnic basket that looked heavy. A blanket rested beneath it. “Would you like some dinner?”
I kissed him. “You are truly my knight in shining armor.”
He grinned. “I figured you were just eating leftover macaroni because you seem to forget to eat unless I’m here to check in on you.”
I chuckled. “This is true.” I smiled at him. “You may have just found the way to my heart.”
“Through your stomach?”
I could smell the scent of food coming from the basket and my stomach rumbled. “Yup.”
Henry chuckled. “Where should we eat?” he asked, looking around at all the boxes.
“Um, give me one second.” I quickly stacked up my scanned boxes and lined them up on one end of the room. Henry helped me stack the unscanned boxes of documents near the table, leaving us with a nice size spot on the floor.
“Perfect,” he said, pulling out the blanket and setting it on the floor. He put the basket smack in the center and began pulling out food items.
“You really did bring me a picnic,” I said, watching as he pulled out a roast chicken, bread, cheese, veggie sticks, a bottle of wine, and some sort of delicious looking potato salad.
“The weather was so nice the other day that I wanted to eat outside with you,” he explained. “But, I couldn’t get away.”
I looked around at the private picnic he had just created for me. “This is perfect,” I told him. “Plus, we don’t have to worry about weather or bugs.”
As if hearing my words, a peal of thunder shook through the building. We both froze for a moment, waiting to see what would follow. The steady beat of raindrops on the roof began not long after, filling the room with a comfortable white noise.
“Definitely better than outside,” Henry agreed. He held out a hand for me to join him. I took it, and together we sat on the blanket.
“What exactly are you doing with all these boxes?” Henry asked, handing me a paper plate.
“I’m scanning trade documents into the computer system,” I explained. “It’s not glamorous or exciting, I promise. Once I finish, I can go back to my real job.”
“Being the assistant to the senator, right?” Henry took a plate for himself and began putting food on it.
I nodded. “Yup. Someday, I will be a senator. Or a house representative. I want to be a part of government and make things work.”
“President Ritter,” Henry mused. “It doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Oh no, not president,” I assured him. “I don’t want the responsibility. I want to be a part of government, but I don’t want to be the leader. I’d rather be behind the scenes than being the face of a country.”
Henry smiled. “Like me then.”
“What do you mean?”
Henry looked up at me as if surprised. He thought for a moment before answering. “My brother is the leader. I’m second born, and as such, expected to do all the behind the scenes work as you called it. Some have asked me if I would trade places with my brother, and I’ve always said no. I like my position behind the scenes.”
“That’s it exactly,” I agreed. “I didn’t know it was like that in business, too.”
“Our company is rather unique,” Henry replied. “It’s a family thing.”
I nodded, and then frowned. “How did you get up here? I’m not actually sure I can have you in here.”
“Relax,” he said, holding up his hands. He reached into his pocket and handed me a US government ID card. “I have permission. I already had the background check. I have a friend in government who I like to visit, so I have access.”
“Oh, okay.” I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn’t think that Gus or any of the other security guards would let Henry up if he wasn’t allowed, but I also didn’t want to get him in trouble. I smiled at him.
“My dad was going to run for president someday,” I said, going back to our original conversation. “I never understood the appeal, but he would have been good at it. Me? I just want to make things better and I think I can do more on the sidelines.”
“What kind of things?” Henry asked. He made himself comfortable on the blanket, his eyes focused on me as he ate his meal.
“Everything,” I said with a laugh. “I want to make people safer, healthier, and kinder. I think the world could be an amazing place for everyone.”
Henry smiled at me, and I blushed.
“I know it sounds idealistic, but I think it could happen. I want to believe that most people are good and that we can make the world match that,” I said with a shrug.
He sat up and kissed my cheek. “I love it,” he said. “We need people like you in the world.”
“Naive?” I asked, making a sour face as he put more vegetables on my plate.
“No.” Henry shook his head. “Hopeful.”
I smiled and took another bite of food. “This is really good. Thank you for bringing me dinner.”
“Thank you for bringing me hope,” he replied.
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “I’m stuck here for a bit,” I reminded him. “So, don’t get too hopeful yet.”
We continued to eat, talking about what we each wanted to change in the world. Our conversation drifted to the future and then to our pasts. I found myself wanting this meal to never end. It was so easy to talk to Henry. Our conversations flowed and he kept me laughing, even if we didn’t always agree. I loved hearing his viewpoints as they were different than mine and made me think.
He had a formality to his patterns that I found endearing. He was always polite, even when it was just the two of us, though he made his position on things clear. I thought he would have made an excellent ambassador or diplomatic entity. He seemed to have a natural ability for it.
Outside the storm continued to rage. Thunder echoed through the empty building and every once in a while the lights flickered. I could hear the rain beating at the windows and the wind howl through the alleyways.
When we’d eaten most of the meal, Henry pulled out a bag of soft-baked chocolate chip cookies. Together we ate them, savoring every bite. We sat with our knees touching. I couldn’t help but notice everything about him. The way the light hit his hair, the strong movement of his muscles, the easy smile he kept just for me.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said, licking the chocolate crumbs from my fingers. I knew that once I finished my meal, I would have to go back to work. I didn’t want to work. I wanted to be with him. “It was really good.”
He grinned. “Thank you for the company. It was much better than my brothers’.”
I chuckled as he leaned over and kissed me mid-laugh. I closed my eyes, focusing on the touch of his lips. He smelled like cookies and sunshine.
My body moved without thinking. I straddled his lap, my legs on either side of him so that I could kiss him better. Memories of our time on my couch rushed forward, wanting to relive and continue what we had started.
His mouth met mine, moving with passion as his fingers pressed into my back. He groaned slightly as I nipped at his lower lip.
“I should go back to work,” I whispered, trying to find the strength to stop myself. I knew I was behind, but with a hot man underneath me, work was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Yes, so should I,” Henry agreed, sliding his hand up under my shirt and touching my skin.
A peal of thunder shook the building. The lights flickered and then went out. The building went silent except for the sound of Henry’s breathing. The power was out.
The only light came from the window, casting the room in warm dark shadows.
“Looks like my prayers were answered,” Henry whispered, nuzzling his mouth along my neck. “No power, no work.”
I chuckled, low and deep. This really was my lucky night.
Henry’s mouth found the curve of my neck and hit bit down gently, making me fold into him. I could feel him growing hard beneath me. I arch
ed my back and rocked my hips, encouraging him further.
“You’re brother’s not going to interrupt us again, is he?” I asked, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
“Power’s out,” he murmured, running his tongue along my collar bone, making me shiver. “No interruptions.”
Except the sound of the night watchman coming up the stairs. My eyes went wide and we separated in just enough time that the guard didn’t see me straddling and humping a man in my office.
“You two okay up here?” he asked, looking into the office with his flashlight. “Power’s out.”
I cleared my throat. “We noticed.”
“It should come back on soon,” he said, tossing me a spare flashlight. “Here’s a light for you. You’re welcome to stay up here. I just wanted to check on things. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Henry told him. He had his legs crossed to hide the massive erection I had caused.
The guard nodded to both of us before continuing his rounds.
I let out a breath and then stood and closed the door. I locked it and put one of the boxes full of files in front of the door so we wouldn’t have this problem again. I put the flashlight pointing toward the ceiling, making the room light enough to see.
“Now, where were we?” I asked, undoing the buttons on my shirt as I walked toward Henry.
His eyes focused on my chest as I pulled my shirt away and tossed it to the side. I went to my knees beside him, and he grabbed my waist, putting me back in the straddle position over him.
“Somewhere around here,” he replied, his voice husky with desire. He thrust his hips up and I groaned. Once again, we had too many clothes on.
Henry reached behind me and fumbled with the bra strap. It took him a moment, but finally it came free. He growled in approval, making something deep inside of me heat.
His hands came up and caressed the swells of my breasts, his fingertips working the pale skin before coming to the taut nipples. The simple graze of his thumb over the erect flesh had me moaning and writhing against his lap.
