by Ana Jolene
Whatever. The walk would be good exercise for her.
Smiling as she passed her colleagues, she headed for one of the boardrooms located at the far end of the building. The company had mistakenly ordered too many office supplies last month and because they wouldn’t fit anywhere else, they’d just packed it all in here. No one had bothered to organize it since then and now the boxes were piled up on top of each other.
She scanned the boardroom, trying to find an open box when big hands seized her and pulled her back. She slammed into a hard body and gasped.
Hutch’s husky laughter sounded in her ear. “Easy, Snowflake.” He ran his hands up the length of her arms, eliciting a full-body shiver. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Maison spun around in his arms. “You didn’t just startle me. You scared the shit out of me!”
She followed that with a smack in his chest, but instead of punishing him, it elicited a grin. “I just wanted to know when you can go on that date with me.”
“Hutch!” That’s why he’d followed her?
“Shh! Someone will know we’re in here!”
Maison lowered her voice. “You can’t be in here!” What if someone saw them together?
“Why not? I’ll just pretend I’m also looking for printer paper too. You look gorgeous, by the way. It’s a distraction.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she drawled in a mocking tone. He was acting like she was asking for this.
“You should be sorry,” Hutch said as he leaned in. “I can’t get any work done.” His mouth dropped over hers and, suddenly, Maison was kissing him. Oh God, what was it about this guy that made her melt like butter? She just couldn’t resist him! Wrapping her arms around his neck, Maison drew up on her toes so that she could reach him better.
His kisses were drugging, making her drowsy by the second. Soon she was swaying on her feet and wetness grew between her legs. When she pulled away, she was gasping. “Thank you for the flowers,” she whispered. “They’re beautiful.” She still couldn’t believe he’d done that for her!
“You’re welcome.” Hutch’s hands went to her hips, a little rough and a little bit sloppy as they roamed over her curves. She tried to look back at him, but he held her in place. “W-what are you doing?”
His low voice sent shivers down her spine. “Shh. We’re taking a break from work.”
Her eyes went wide. “Hutch, you don’t mean—” But when she turned around, she could already see that he was rolling a condom on. “Hutch!” The door to the meeting room was open! Anyone could walk by!
He reached for her. “Don’t worry. No one is going to see us.”
Maison shook her head. “I don’t think I can do this.” It was so reckless!
The words had Hutch freezing in place. He glanced at the door. The hallway was empty. “Fine,” he breathed. “Should I take the condom off?”
Maison’s heart was beating frantically, and despite her concern, she was still majorly turned on. What if she did go through with this and had sex with Hutch in this boardroom? Would someone see? Would they care?
While a part of her seized at the thought of it, another part of her wanted to dance on the dark side. If she returned to her desk now, she wouldn’t stop thinking about it and she’d no doubt spend the rest of the day horny as hell. Might as well scratch the itch now when Hutch was willing and ready.
“Hold on,” she said just as Hutch was going to remove the condom. Maison walked to the door and instead of walking out, she closed it, securing it with the lock. Then she walked back to Hutch. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Hutch arched a dark brow at her. “Are you sure? I don’t want to force you.”
“Check my panties. They’re soaked through.”
Hutch cursed. “Okay.” He shot her a wicked grin. “Turn around and bend over the table.” Just like that, her body heated again.
Maison lifted her skirt and did as asked. A bolt of excitement hit her. She couldn’t believe she was really going to do this! Behind her, Hutch grabbed a handful of her ass and cursed. “Garters?” he moaned. “You wear garters, too?”
Maison smiled even though he couldn’t see it. She’d put them on today with him in mind, but she never thought he’d get a chance to see it.
“Last chance,” Hutch said as he positioned his cock at her wet entrance. “You can still back out.”
Heat poured off her and Maison glanced back at the door she’d locked. She was so wired up, she didn’t care if anyone saw them now. “Fuck me now,” she demanded, wiggling her ass in the air.
On a curse, Hutch joined them together. Maison sucked in a breath as the sensation singed through her body. There was a long moment when she felt impossibly full. Although she wasn’t a virgin, it had been a long time since she’d last slept with someone. And she’d never been with anyone this big before.
Hutch leaned over her, the heat of his body cloaking her all at once. “Don’t think about them,” he murmured in her ear. “There is no one else right now. Only us.”
Hutch swirled his hips and Maison let out a low groan. She clutched the table beneath her, using it to push back on him and delighting in his low, guttural growl. He started slow and then Hutch picked up the pace. She cried out with the force of it. The sounds of their bodies slapping together echoed loudly in the room.
She didn’t care if anyone heard her now. She was just too consumed in this boiling pleasure. This was what Hutch made her do; he made her reckless and bold; made her forget her fears and simply feel.
She’d never felt so alive before.
With that, Maison let her fantasies fly. What would it be like for Hutch to fuck her face? Or maybe he’d like to put his hard cock between her breasts?
The images in her head only seemed to push her towards a quick release. Before she knew it, she was hit with a climax so hard that she had no warning as she came wildly around him. Hutch thrust his hips faster, sending her spiraling out of control. “Oh my God!” she cried as another release hit her hard.
More. She wanted more.
She was an addict and Hutch was her drug. Reaching back, she slipped a finger beneath her garters and gave Hutch a smoky look. Instantly, his body drew up and he was spilling inside of her, his face morphing into a mask of pleasure. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
Hutch’s voice was still ragged and breathy when he said, “That was amazing. I can’t believe we just did that.”
She chuckled softly. “I can’t believe it either.” But that was what Hutch did to her. He made her fearless and bold.
Hutch kissed her before letting her go. “You might want to go to the bathroom and clean up,” he suggested.
Straightening her skirt, she nodded as she watched Hutch get rid of the condom. When he returned, he brushed his lips across hers. “Do you regret it?” he asked softly.
Maison smiled. “No, not at all. That was easily the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“Good. Me too.” He captured her mouth again and the kiss was enough to make her grow needy again. “Come on. We better get back before someone notices we’re both missing.”
She grinned. “Good idea.”
Taking her hand, he led her back to the door but then paused abruptly. “What is it?” Had someone come by?
“You still didn’t tell me about when you wanted to go out on that date.”
Her jaw dropped. “We just had sex in a boardroom and you still want a date?”
Hutch’s grin was shameless. “Of course. So when are you free?”
This man was insatiable! “What about Friday? I now know better than to go out with you on a weekday.”
Hutch laughed. “Okay. Friday it is. I’ll pick you up around seven for dinner. How does that sound?”
Maison beamed. “That sounds perfect.”
TWENTY-ONE
When Friday night came, Hutch felt like a kid going to Disney World for the first time. His excitement level had never been so high and he’d spent the entire nig
ht imagining how their date would go.
He knew that she wouldn’t mind which place he picked—Maison was easily pleased like that—but Hutch had thought long and hard about making sure he picked someplace she’d like so she didn’t have to fake it. After hours of deliberation, he finally settled on the perfect place.
When they arrived at the lavish restaurant, Maison’s eyes grew wide. “Hutch, are you serious? We’re eating here?”
“You don’t like it?” He would happily turn the car around and find someplace else she preferred.
“No, no. That’s not what I mean. I love it. I just didn’t realize we were going somewhere so fancy.”
Phew! He was glad to hear that. And of course he would go all out for her. He suspected she rarely treated herself. “So you recognize this place?”
They’d been here before for his mother’s birthday. Maison had only been working for Gleam for a couple of weeks then but his mother had liked her enough that she wanted her to be there. Since that moment, Maison had been a constant presence in their lives. It wasn’t until now, however, that they’d grown close.
“Of course I do. I miss this place,” she admitted. “It’s been a while since we’ve been here, huh?” There was a touch of sadness in her tone and he had no doubt that she was thinking of his mother.
He nodded. “Yeah, it has been.”
Sotto Sotto was full of memories, but instead of reminding him of his loss, he hoped to be able to make new memories with Maison tonight.
When they were seated, Maison gazed around the dining area, her pretty blue eyes lingering at the other patron’s dishes. Excellent. She’d brought her appetite tonight. He hoped that she indulged. Maison pointed to one of the dishes their neighbors were digging into. “Can I order that?” she asked.
Hutch smiled in delight. “You can have anything you want, Snowflake.”
“Okay, I’ll have the pasta and some wine to go with it.”
“You got it.” He loved that she wasn’t trying to restrict herself anymore.
Hutch quickly rattled off what they wanted to the waitress. “So what do you think of this place so far?” he asked once they were alone again. “Is it as good as you remembered?”
“It’s even better.” A smile curled her lips. “To be honest, I don’t get around much. I usually go back and forth from work and home.”
“A workaholic.”
Maison nodded. “Yup, that’s me.”
Hutch took a sip of his wine, allowing his gaze to hold hers above the glass. She looked so beautiful in the dim lighting of the restaurant. The dress she’d decided to wear tonight showed off her shoulders and Hutch wanted nothing more than to lean forward and sink his teeth into her creamy skin.
When a man walked by and caught her gaze, Maison flushed and looked away. But the man’s gaze still lingered despite the fact that he was right in front of her. Hutch’s possessive side reared its ugly head and a growl formed low in his throat. He tried to disguise it but it was too late. The man glanced in his direction, widened his eyes in fear and scuttled away.
Damn, when the hell had he become so possessive?
Technically, now that he was working at Gleam Enterprises, he could move out at any time. He’d held up his end of the deal with his father but Hutch actually found that he was in no hurry to leave all of a sudden. Now that he wasn’t so angry and he and his father seemed to be getting along for the moment, there was no hurry. Hutch also believed that a key motivator in getting him to stay was Maison.
“You know, you haven’t really told me about the stuff you do when you aren’t working. You do get some downtime, right?”
“I’m not always working,” she said. “But I do work a lot. I like keeping myself busy and I don’t see what the problem is when I love my job so much. There are worse things to be than a workaholic.”
A touch of strain edged her voice and he wondered if people in the past had given her a hard time over it. He would never. He loved Maison’s drive and persistence.
She answered his smile with one of her own. “I bet you wouldn’t believe that I’m a part of a Big Sister Little Sister program.”
“Really?” He didn’t know that. But when he thought about it, it fit her perfectly. Maison had that nurturing, motherly quality to her, not to mention that she was responsible as hell. She would be a wonderful role model for a young girl. “How is it? Can you tell me about her?”
“Well, Rissa is fifteen years old. She’s half African-American and Hispanic. She came into the program when her father first went to prison. She still has her mother, but she’s not around very much. Her grandmother is the one that raises her.” Maison smiled. “Despite all that, Rissa is a good kid.”
Damn. It saddened Hutch to know that a teenage girl had to deal with all that. But with the way Maison spoke of her, he could tell that she really cared about her.
Hutch thought back to his own childhood. Compared to Rissa’s, his was a walk in the park. He guessed he should be more appreciative of what he had and stop taking the people in his life for granted.
Across the table, Maison had a troubled look on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Although she tried to keep her negative emotions within, Hutch became very good at recognizing cues. Something was definitely bothering her.
“I’m just worried about Rissa, that’s all.”
“Why?”
“She has this dance coming up and she thought a boy was going to ask her. But it looks like his interests have fallen on someone else.”
Ah, teenage heartbreak. It was the worst. “Who is this guy anyway?”
“I don’t know much about him other than his name and that he’s a major heartthrob at school.”
“Do you need me to knock some sense into him?”
Maison laughed. “I’m probably overacting but I know Rissa is feeling down about it.”
Hutch reached over and clasped Maison’s hand. “I’m sure he’ll come to his senses. Men can be slow sometimes.” He leaned back, grinning broadly. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll go with her.”
“W-what?” He’d never met Rissa, but what he could tell from Maison, she was a great person. A sweetheart like that should never have to spend a dance alone. “You can’t go with her.”
Hutch smiled as she frowned. “If it’s because of the age difference, I can assure you—”
“No, it’s not that. It’s because you’re taken.”
His eyes widened with surprise before his lips curled into a sly smirk. “Am I?”
“Yes, you’re mine.” Her voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the possessiveness.
Hutch groaned so loud that the people around them stopped to glance at them. “That was hot! Say it again.”
“Hutch!” She was flushing now, that beautiful blush making her go a stunning shade of pink.
Hutch chuckled and he picked up his fork again. “All right, that’s enough. I fear that if you get any redder, the chefs will think you’re a tomato and throw you into one of their soups.” That earned him a kick under the table. “Ow!”
“Behave,” Maison scolded and Hutch grinned again.
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Hutch’s first date with Maison was a great success. Throughout dinner they’d laughed and chatted and flirted some more. Despite Maison’s shy personality, he could really see her coming out of her shell. And it thrilled him to know that she was learning to trust him.
He’d liked what she’d said about him belonging to her. It was sexy and possessive, and before tonight, he’d never seen Maison Lane take so strongly to another person.
Still, he wanted to take it slow. Maison deserved a man who wooed and spoiled her, and Hutch had plans to do all that.
He drove her home and was entirely surprised when she asked him to come inside. She chuckled when his eyes widened. “Don’t look so surprised there, buddy. I had a good time tonight, and I don’t want it to end.”
“I don’t either.”
“Well, good. Let’s go inside then.”
He hadn’t been inside Maison’s house for quite some time and a lot of things had changed since then. “Wow, it looks amazing in here,” he said as he took in the rooms.
The cream walls were made less stark by beautiful watercolor paintings and he also loved the authentic wooden furniture dotted throughout the first floor.
“Thanks. I finally got it the way I want it. It did take a long time on my own but I think it came out great.”
“It’s more than great. It’s extraordinary.” Just like the woman who lived in it.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure.”
“Let me see what I have in the kitchen. Go ahead and make yourself at home.”
Hutch nodded, heading for the living room. As he heard Maison rumbling in the kitchen, he started to look around. Not surprisingly, everything was perfectly polished and in its rightful place. He should’ve known that Maison would have her home perfectly organized as well.
He paused by a picture frame sitting on the coffee table. Sitting down on the couch, he picked it up and examined it more closely.
It was of Maison and his entire family at her thirtieth surprise birthday. He loved that she’d kept it and decided to frame it. He remembered that day clearly. It’d been the same day he’d returned home after spending a few days with Sam. His family had been so worried about him, thinking the worst. But he really just needed to spend some time with a friend who knew exactly what he was going through.
Thinking back on it now, he realized he probably should’ve told someone where he was so they wouldn’t worry, but his family hadn’t been on his mind then. He’d been selfish, thinking about himself only when he’d left in a hurry.
Placing the frame back down where he’d found it, he searched the room for more photos but didn’t find any. As he frowned, Maison appeared then with two glasses of wine. “Here you go. I hope this will do.”
He took the glass from her. “Thank you. Hey, how come you don’t have pictures of your family?”
Maison shook her head. “I don’t like to keep them out.”
