by Lexy Timms
I knew this was all stuff I needed to talk to Daniel about. It wasn’t healthy to keep these concerns to myself. But I just couldn’t seem to find a good time to talk to him about any of it. When we were at the office, there were dozens of last-minute meetings and things to attend to. And when we were at home, we were either discussing the trip or else thinking about anything and everything except for work.
I didn’t want to ruin things. I didn’t want to jeopardize our trip. Not that I really believed I would. But still, I was afraid to ask too many questions. I was afraid to make it seem like I didn’t trust him to make the right decisions for the good of the company as well as our relationship.
“What are you looking so pensive about?” Daniel asked from behind me.
I startled, jumping about a foot into the air. Then, I turned sheepishly toward him. “I’m just waiting for the coffee to be done,” I said, gesturing to the pot in front of me.
Daniel frowned. “Sure,” he said. “But I can tell you’re thinking pretty hard as well. Are you nervous about our trip?”
“Something like that,” I admitted. I shrugged. “We just have so much to get done before then.” It was sort of a lie, or at least a shading of the truth, but I didn’t know how to tell him what I was really worried about. If he didn’t want me to come back to work for him once our trip was over, I would just have to wait and deal with it then. No sense panicking before I even knew what might happen.
After all, hadn’t I learned that lesson when we had fought post-trial? I had come up with so many horrible ideas of what Daniel might think of me, I had been so sure that he would fire me and that he would never want anything to do with me again. But none of those things had come to pass.
“Don’t worry about it,” Daniel said, grinning at me. “I appreciate all the help you’ve been giving me in getting all the last-minute things done, but at the end of the day, I don’t want you to be worried about it.”
“It is your company,” I joked weakly. “I guess I should leave the worrying to the boss.”
Daniel frowned thoughtfully at that. “Can you come back to my office with me?” he asked, pouring us each a mug of coffee once the pot finally finished brewing.
“Sure thing,” I said, wondering what else he was going to add to my plate that day. I knew that I shouldn’t have been loitering around the break room like that, but I just had to step away from it all for a moment.
I followed him back to his office, though, knowing that whatever he was delegating to me, he must have a dozen other more challenging things on his plate for the day. He didn’t delegate lightly; I knew that about him.
I was surprised when he closed and locked the door behind us. I raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought we didn’t do that kind of stuff around the office,” I reminded him, even though just the suggestion of a heavy make-out session, and maybe more, made me want to throw the rule book out the window just then. We’d both been so exhausted in the evenings that week that we had pretty much just been collapsing into bed with each other. My body ached to feel him inside of me again.
But Daniel shook his head. “I just want to make sure we’re not disturbed,” he said. “I have something serious I want to discuss with you.”
I felt my blood run cold. Had I done something wrong? Was he calling off this whole trip before we had even gone anywhere?
Daniel was grinning at me, though. “Relax,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing. In fact, it could be a very good thing for both of us. Why don’t you sit down?”
I slowly walked over to the chair at the far side of his desk. “What’s going on?” I asked him.
“It’s about the business,” Daniel said. “I brought you into this company as my advisor, in part because that was the role that Gerrard had always filled, and the one that I thought I was trying to find a replacement for. But I’m beginning to realize that that position title doesn’t do justice to the work you’ve been putting into the job in your time here.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, my mind trying furiously to process that. It must just be some sort of HR thing. Restructuring of the company or something. A different title for me, no longer Daniel’s advisor, but still with all the same responsibilities as before. I wondered why he looked so serious about that, though. And why he felt the need to tell me it himself, rather than letting HR handle it.
But Daniel’s next words shocked me. “I was wondering, actually, if you’d like to be my partner within the company. Rather than my advisor, you’d be a co-CEO, and as the company grows, you’ll have the ability to take on whatever projects you’d like.”
I gaped at him, unable to find the words. Co-CEO? Had he really said that? I was tempted to remind him of the mistake I had made when I was filling in for him before. But I knew I needed to let that go. The situation with Duncan had been resolved by me firing him as our client. He had never even gone to the news with anything he had heard, or if he had, no one had been able to use any of it. The story had totally fizzled out. No harm, no foul.
Besides, Daniel had been training me to be a CEO for real, ever since the Duncan debacle. I knew so much more about McGregor Enterprises already, and I would only learn more the longer I spent at the company and the more I got my hands dirty with different CEO projects.
I remembered what Daniel had said last time, about how he wouldn’t have asked me to stand in for him if he didn’t trust my ability to do the job. I had to assume that it was the same now. He believed that I could do the job. And not only that, but he was willing to work alongside me. Give me partnership in his company.
I found myself nodding before I was even aware of my answer. But still, I couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure, though?”
Daniel nodded at me. “I want to do this together,” he said. “I want to share our legacy.”
It was those simple words—our legacy—that really did it for me. I was still stunned, but I could feel a quick rush of elation flash through me as well. I practically jumped over his desk to throw my arms around him. We kissed messily, both overcome by our emotions.
“I take it that’s a yes?” Daniel asked amusedly as I finally released him.
I realized only then that I still had yet to say a word to him. “Yes,” I said breathlessly, bobbing my head. “Yes. One hundred times over, yes.”
Daniel laughed, pulling me into another kiss. “Good,” he said fiercely as I pulled away. “Because I know how much it means to you to become a CEO, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go to work for another company. You’re mine, Abby James.”
I shivered at the possessive tone to his voice. But I didn’t mind the idea of belonging to him, or of becoming a co-CEO of his company. In fact, it sounded pretty much perfect. “And here I was, worried that the reason that you were working so hard to train me up was that when we came back from this trip, you were going to recommend that I go to work somewhere else,” I joked.
Daniel’s arms tightened around me, pulling me down into his lap. “Absolutely not,” he said, shaking his head. “I just wanted to make sure that you were all ready to take over the role I envisioned for you. And that you weren’t going to have to be stressed while we’re in Thailand. I wanted you to have all the on the job training that you needed before we leave home.”
“Thanks again for trusting me. And for giving me this chance,” I said quietly. “You don’t know how grateful I am.”
“I think I have an idea,” Daniel said, grinning up at me. “But if you really want to show me how grateful you are, then by all means.” His face reddened as if he’d just realized he’d said the words out loud. He cleared his throat. “I was just kidding. That just came out really scumbag sounding. I totally didn’t mean it like that—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I teased. “Now it sounds like your begging.”
“I’m not...” His voice trailed off, as if he wasn’t sure himself.
I glanced toward the door, but knew it was locked. This was usually so off-l
imits for us. And there was a reason for that. But then again, everyone in the office knew we were dating already. Nor would it be unusual for me and Daniel to be there in his office together, behind closed doors. We worked together. They would all just assume that we were discussing an upcoming business strategy or a deal or something. Or that we were maybe on a conference call together.
We could do this, if we wanted to. And right then, I realized that I really, really wanted to.
I slid off Daniel’s lap, kneeling gracefully between his legs, running my hands up his thick, muscular thighs and reaching for his belt. I licked my lips, watching as Daniel’s eyes darkened, his cock twitching in his pants. But before I could push his pants and boxers out of the way, long before I could get my mouth on him, there was a knock at the door.
I groaned silently, putting my head down against Daniel’s leg. What a time to be interrupted. It was like the universe wanted to keep us on edge. To force us to stick to the rules that we had set out what felt like so long ago now. But I knew we had no choice but to answer it.
I sighed and pushed myself to my feet. “Tonight,” I promised Daniel in a low voice. “When we’re home alone. I promise I’ll show you just how grateful I am.” My voice was already husky and raw with desire, as though I’d already had his length in my mouth for hours on end.
Daniel grimaced but nodded at me, redoing his belt buckle. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Would you answer that? I’m a little...” He trailed off, gesturing toward the obvious tent in the front of his slacks.
I smirked at him and headed for the door. When I opened it, Erin was standing there, and I could tell from the sly grin on her face that she had some idea of exactly what she had interrupted. She wasn’t just here to keep us from doing lewd things in the office, though. She had a stack of documents in one hand.
“These are for you, Daniel,” she said as I stepped back to let her into the office. “It’s the notes on our latest business undertakings, just like you asked for. Progress for each of the projects, earnings projections, all that sort of thing.”
Daniel nodded and then tipped his head toward me. “Why don’t you give those to my partner, the new co-CEO of McGregor Enterprises,” he said smoothly. “She’ll make sure it’s all spick and span.”
The grin on Erin’s face widened as she turned toward me. “Co-CEO, huh?” she asked. “Congratulations! I guess those are the perks of sleeping with the boss?”
I blushed horribly, even though I knew she meant it as a joke. I knew that was exactly the line that the media was going to take when they found out about my promotion. That the only reason I had risen in the company was because Daniel and I were dating. Well, I’d just have to show all of them. I was here because of my hard work, dedication, and intelligence.
Sleeping with Daniel was just an added bonus.
Still, the smile on Erin’s face and the quick hug that she gave me soothed my indignation at those words. “You deserve it for putting up with him,” she teased.
Daniel raised his eyebrow at Erin, but he didn’t seem offended either. In fact, it was the most relaxed I had seen him around his employees since I had first started working there. Maybe people really could change over time.
“Careful, Erin,” he said mock warningly. “Even when we go off to Thailand, remember that I’m still your boss.”
Erin gave him an ironic bow and backed toward the door. “So true, boss,” she said, smirk still firmly in place. She winked at me. “Abby, let me know if you have any questions as you’re going over all of that.”
“Will do,” I said, grinning at her.
She shut the door on the way out. For a moment, I was tempted to go lock it again, return to my spot on the floor between Daniel’s legs. But then I looked down at the papers in my hand and remembered all the other work I wanted to get done that day. I sighed. “Tonight,” I promised Daniel again.
He laughed easily. “Tonight,” he agreed, nodding at me. “And same thing that Erin said, let me know if you need any help with anything. I don’t want you feeling overwhelmed. You’ve been doing such a great job lately, and I want to keep that going if we can.”
“Thanks,” I said gratefully. “I’ll see you in a little while for that meeting with the shareholders.”
“By the way,” Daniel said as I started to leave the room.
“Yeah?” I asked over my shoulder.
“You’re going to need an office if you’re co-CEO,” Daniel continued. “But unfortunately, this building is rather limited on office space. So I was thinking that we might need to move buildings, although that seems like a lot of work, or else...you might just have to share this office with me. What do you think? We could get one of those his-and-hers desks, me on one side and you on the other.”
My grin felt wide enough to split my face in two. “That sounds perfect,” I told him. “And there’ll be plenty of time for you to hire someone to set that up while we’re on our trip!”
The idea of being co-CEO was still intimidating, no matter how much I had learned from Daniel since I had come to work for McGregor Enterprises. But it definitely helped to know that he would be there by my side, every step of the way.
Chapter 27
Daniel
I STRETCHED HUGELY as I lay on top of the bed in our luxurious hotel room. Thailand was definitely agreeing with me, I decided. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this relaxed. I rolled my head to the side so I could look toward the broad terrace. The curtains were blowing in with the breeze, and I could just see Abby’s silhouette as she leaned against the railing, looking down at the jungle far below.
I knew Abby had been partial to the pretty bungalow we had stayed on for our first nights down in the islands, but personally, I was happy to come here and have such privacy. We were the only people on this level of the lodge, and no one would be able to see out onto our terrace or its plunge pool. There was a certain level of exaggerated comfort to this place that had been missing from our previous accommodations. I loved it.
I headed out onto the terrace. The water in the plunge pool was perfectly still, and the afternoon air was hot and humid. Abby didn’t move as I walked out to her, leaning against her, putting one hand on either side of hers where they rested against the railing. I slowly lowered my mouth, kissing her shoulders and her neck.
She was dressed in only a flimsy cover-up, with no swimsuit underneath. After all, it wasn’t like anyone could see us except for the birds in the sky. I myself wasn’t wearing anything after the nap I’d had, passed out on the bed. It had been a long and slow trip to get here, to the far north of Thailand and this quiet, peaceful retreat.
This privacy—it was another thing I had been missing with our bungalow. Sure, we’d had our bungalow all to ourselves, but there hadn’t really been anywhere else that we could retreat to privately at that resort. Here, we had much more space to just enjoy one another.
And right now, my prick was already stiff with how badly I wanted to enjoy Abby’s body. I rocked against her, my length sliding down the cleft of her ass as she pushed back against me. She turned in my arms, leaning her mouth up so that she could kiss me. Her fingers trailed down my naked body. She cupped my erection in her hand, squeezing lightly, making me groan. I thrust into the circle of her fist, using her for release.
She dropped down to her knees gracefully, bringing my tip to her lips. She flicked her tongue out, licking at the bead of precum dotting my slit. Then, she wrapped her lips around my head, bobbing up and down in practiced movements, her other hand coming up to play with my balls all the while.
I groaned, leaning back against the railing, my head falling back. One of my hands came up to caress Abby’s soft hair, tangling in the errant strands that had escape from her long blonde braid. I didn’t know if I had been dreaming about her during my nap or if it was just that talented mouth of hers, but I was quickly close to the edge. I wanted this to last a little while longer, though.
I pressed again
st her shoulder to get her to stop. She pulled off with a pop, smirking up at me as I sank down to join her on the cool tiles of the terrace. I lay back on the rug that was spread there, and she climbed on top of me, wasting no time before lowering herself down onto my needy member. I caught her hips, guiding them with my hands. Not that she needed any guidance. She sank down onto me again and again, shifting slightly to change the angle each time.
Suddenly, she gasped, her fingers finding mine at her hips, scrabbling for a grip. “Right there, right there,” she whimpered, her movements becoming frenzied as she chased her orgasm. The more I watched her fall apart above me, the more difficult it was to keep from tumbling over that edge myself. She was shaking with desire, her body slick with sweat as my fingers trailed along her sides and cupped her breasts and then her ass.
She slumped forward, pushing her hair impatiently back so that she could look down at me with those bewitching eyes of hers. She slammed down on my length again and again, and I could tell that we were both so close.
I kissed the inside of her wrist, where she had her hands planted on either side of my head. She whimpered as I raked my teeth lightly over her pulse point. I could see the goose bumps there in her sensitive skin. She collapsed over me, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, thrusting up into her when it became clear that she was too overcome to continue her own movements.
We came together, bodies slick with heat, pleasure bursting through our veins. It felt like we were suspended there forever, just the two of us in this jungle in Thailand, the birds flying overhead. My body spent itself over and over, wave after wave of my seed spurting into her, as her walls milked me for all I was worth.
I could barely remember who I was, just lost there in the sensation of utter bliss, sure that that only thing that mattered in this world right now was this beautiful woman in my arms.
Slowly, I came back into myself, separating from her, letting her pull off of me and lay down at my side. “I love you,” Abby murmured after a long moment, as her fingers trailed aimless patterns on my chest. I could sense, however, that there was a “but” there. Sure enough: “But these tiles are really uncomfortable. Can we move in to the bed or something?”
