ILLEGALLY MINE

by Mia Carson

“Yep, he is,” Marcus said loudly and draped his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “She’s got a good, solid hold on our boss.”

  Betty grinned, but it looked fake. Tension rose in the office, and Sam cleared his throat as he slipped out from under Marcus’ arm and sat down behind his desk.

  “You have several phone calls to return,” Betty informed him formally as she handed him the slips of paper. “Also, that trip you planned to take in a month? We’re going to have go much sooner, I’m afraid. As in next week.”

  “Trip?” Sam looked down at his desk calendar. “Shit, I forgot all about it.”

  “That’s why you have me,” Betty said stiffly. “Stan’s worried about the new marketing and whether it’s going to be successful or not. He wants a personal guarantee from you, and he’s moving up the launch date to be in time for fall vacationers.”

  “Of course he is,” Sam muttered, tapping his fingers on his desk. “Right, call him back and tell him we’ll be there Thursday, but we’re only staying one night. His new spa will be just fine.”

  “You know how he is,” Marcus chimed in. “Stan was always a worry wart.”

  “I’m not sure why. He makes as much money as I do. Anything else, Betty?”

  “No, I’ll see to the travel plans. Do you need me to arrange someone to watch your place again? Take care of the fish?”

  Sam glanced at Marcus and his friend shook his head behind Betty’s back. “Ah, I’ll take care of it.” He watched his assistant closely as she turned on her heel and stomped out of his office, closing his door behind her. “Did I miss something?’

  “Clearly,” Marcus said. “I think Betty likes you.”

  “When did that happen?” He glanced at his door again and leaned back in his chair, swiveling it back and forth. “Maybe you should go with me to see Stan instead.”

  “I can’t. I have to be here for the conference showcasing the company,” he reminded Sam. “You’ll be fine. She’s a professional. I trust her not to push it too far simply because you’ll be alone at a hotel in California.”

  “You’re not helping. Do you want me to take you out for dinner tonight or what?”

  “Tuesday night margaritas and karaoke,” Marcus chanted as he sorted through the files in his arms. “Happy birthday to me.”

  “Just do me a favor and be nice to Harley.”

  “I will, don’t worry about that. Maybe I’ll even get her to do karaoke with me.”

  Sam picked up the deck of cards on his desk, and instead of weighing him down like the memories tended to do, he smiled softly and tucked the cards safely away in his desk. “She does have a damn good voice,” he mentioned and logged into his desktop.

  He wondered, as he worked with Marcus, how Harley’s morning was going. He checked his phone when it buzzed around lunchtime and his takeout was delivered. When the door opened, he glanced at Betty and swore she’d glared at him before she vanished from sight.

  “You sure Betty won’t try anything?” he asked Marcus again as he checked his cell.

  “If she does, you’re the boss. You could always fire her, or if you’re that worried, tell her you need her to stay behind and go by yourself.”

  Sam nodded absently while he tapped the message from Harley. He was glad he hadn’t taken a bite of anything yet as he read the words: Forgot to brush my teeth before I left, still tasting you in my mouth.

  “You okay? You look like you swallowed your tongue,” Marcus asked worried.

  “No…no, I’m good,” Sam muttered as he glanced at his groin. That woman would drive him insane. He texted her back: What would you say if I told you I can still smell your scent in my beard scruff?

  He’d never texted messages like this before, but with Harley, he was open to trying anything she was. There were no awkward positions or questions during sex as they figured out what each one really liked. It opened a whole new avenue for him sexually he’d never thought to experience before. With Harley, he wanted to see what pleasures they could wring from the other. She’d already created a wish list for them on a local website selling adult toys and lingerie. He’d never been so excited to receive a package before since she hadn’t told him what she ordered.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Sam clutched his cell as he glanced up to find Harley standing in the doorway, grinning at him as she cocked her hips to the side. Her cell chirped in her purse, and he nearly smacked himself on the forehead. Of course, she would decide to surprise him right after he’d sent that text.

  “Hey,” he said, and thankful he wore slacks today instead of his usual leather pants, he greeted her with a peck on the cheek. “Check your phone after you leave,” he whispered in her ear, and her hand tightened on his arm as she stifled a laugh.

  “So this is the famous Harley,” Marcus said as he reached them.

  Harley took his hand and pulled the man into a hug. “I hear a happy birthday is in order. I was going to wait until tonight to meet you, but I have to get you something for tonight. I hate buying presents for people I’ve never met before, though Sam talks about you all the time.”

  “Does he now?” Marcus glanced at Sam with raised brows. “I never realized I was so important to him.”

  “Yeah, if it wasn’t for the whole he bought my virginity thing,” she said in hushed tones, and Sam blanched while Marcus burst out laughing, “I’d think he swayed a little towards the other team, if you know what I mean.”

  Sam’s head fell into his hand as Marcus laughed so hard tears seeped from his eyes. “Oh, man, I like her a lot. Damn. You and I are going to get along great.”

  “That’s what worries me,” Sam muttered. “Please buy him something horrific.”

  Harley winked. “I’m sure I’ll think of something. Oh, and I wanted to let you know the coordinator and I have everything planned for the function, so we are good to go for Friday night.”

  “Perfect, and speaking of plans, I had to move up a business trip to next weekend. I’ll only be gone one night—two at most—but if you need anything, I’ll leave Marcus’ number,” he told her and glanced pointedly at his friend. “That does not mean you are to share every little secret of our friendship with her.”

  “Oh, come on,” Harley argued. “I’m pretty sure if I bribed him with enough margaritas he’d be all for spilling his guts on the real Samuel Benson.” She nudged his arm playfully and stood on her toes to kiss him.

  “Yeah, don’t ruin our newfound friendship,” Marcus argued.

  “That’s it. I can’t leave you two alone, ever.”

  Harley cackled as she sidled closer and slipped something soft and lacey into his pocket. “I’ll see you in a few hours? What time are we going out for the birthday boy?”

  “Eight—that’s when the five-dollar margaritas start,” Marcus announced loudly. “And karaoke! Someone tells me you have a great voice, so as part of my present, you’re doing a number with me.”

  “You told him that?” she exclaimed and poked Sam in the chest. “Payback, mister, that’s what this means. Payback. I’ll see you at home and I’ll see you later tonight. Nice to meet you, Marcus!” She kissed Sam one more time on the cheek, and as she exited the office, Sam spotted Betty’s fake smile at Harley that quickly turned to a glare before she turned back to her computer.

  Marcus was still laughing when he sat back down. “All right, I take back all my worries. She’s a keeper, really.”

  Not thinking, Sam drew out whatever she’d tucked in his pocket. The second he saw it, he tried to shove it back, but Marcus reached over and pulled his arm out again. He held Harley’s red lace panties from that morning, still warm and quite moist as if she had been thinking about him all morning.

  “Oh, yeah, definitely a keeper.” Marcus was still cackling five minutes later until Sam flicked rice at him from a takeout container to shut him up.

  “Can we just get through our work, please, birthday boy?” he muttered.

  “I won’t keep you a minute longer than necessa
ry, so you two can have some alone time before dinner,” Marcus promised, pressing his hand to his chest. “Seriously, though, it’s nice to see you so happy.”

  Sam sighed as he leaned back in his chair, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. “It’s not just about the sex, either—which, for the record, is incredible,” he added. “I can talk to her, really talk to her, and she listens. She’s there for me.” He glanced at his friend of so many years and leaned on his desk. “One day soon, I have a few things I want to tell you about. Personal things, but not today. I’m not about to ruin my best buddy’s birthday.”

  Marcus’ eyes filled with the deep emotion of friendship. “I’d like that, man, really.”

  “Good, let’s get this done then. We have margaritas to drink all night long.”

  “And songs to sing,” his friend added. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook.”

  Sam didn’t even care. If Harley was up on that stage, he would follow right behind and belt out whatever song Marcus wanted.

  Chapter 9

  Harley placed the last few rose petals on the bed. She climbed up onto the plush covers and checked the time. Sam would walk in any second now. The music played around her, and she picked up one of the remaining long-stem roses she hadn’t used to decorate the room. There was no rhyme or reason why she wanted to do this today except for what she saw that morning with the coordinator.

  They were at a large banquet center, picking out the room for their first black-tie function, when they passed a couple talking about their wedding. Their love was so strong it washed over Harley, and she listened to them tease each other, joking about the night of their wedding and how they felt as though they’d been together forever.

  It was crazy to already picture the rest of her life with Sam, but his words that morning had stuck with her, of being there when she turned thirty. They had both survived shitty childhoods and proved to the world they weren’t going to fall down so easily. Now was the time for them to express how they truly felt about each other, and that was exactly what she planned to do that afternoon. She would give him the best afternoon of his life and tell him she loved him. There was a chance he would turn away from her words, maybe even kick her out for saying it so soon, but she worried if she didn’t say it now, she wouldn’t get the chance before all hell broke loose.

  “Harley?” Sam called when he arrived home.

  She scooted to the edge of the bed and tried to remember what that woman all alone behind the glass wall did at the club that night. She held the rose in her hand and ran it up her thigh. “In here,” she replied in a sultry voice.

  The lights were dimmed, and the room was lit only with flickering candlelight. His shadow loomed down the hallway before he appeared in the doorway. “Hey, what’s with the...” He trailed off when his eyes raked over her naked body sitting on the edge of the bed. She saw his Adam’s apple bob hard as she dragged the rose across her belly to her other thigh and spread her legs wide. His hands clenched at his sides and he let out a choked noise.

  Harley bit her bottom lip and a quiet moan escaped her mouth as she lifted her other hand to cup her breast, massaging it with her fingers. She pinched her nipple hard, and Sam cursed raggedly as he stepped further into the room.

  “I tasted you all day,” she murmured, running the rose between her legs. Goosebumps broke out from the touch of the soft petals and the intense hunger in Sam’s eyes. “You teased me and you weren’t even there to do it in person.” She moved the rose down her inner thigh as she rolled her nipple and her head fell back, shaking out her hair. She heard his steps move closer but he didn’t reach out to her. “Care to join me?”

  “I think I’ll watch, for now,” he growled, and the ache deep in her loins intensified.

  Her eyes met his, and she dropped the rose between her legs. Her fingers ran up between her lips, moist simply because Sam was watching her touch herself. It was thrilling, and for a brief second, she understood the turn-on for the woman behind the glass. Knowing all those people were watching her pushed her over the edge. For Harley, having Sam’s eyes on her as she spread her lips delicately and rubbed them made her anxious to come for him. She rubbed her clit and shuddered at the sharp pleasure stirring to life within her. When she spread her lips wider and slipped two fingers inside her sheath, Sam groaned harshly. She watched with lustful eyes as his cock came to life before her. As he moved to the edge of the bed, she lay back and set her other hand to work, massaging her clit hard while her fingers thrust into her wetness. Sam’s hazel eyes darkened more than she had ever seen them, and he unbuttoned his shirt quickly.

  “Are you going to join me now?”

  “Oh no,” he grunted as he undid his pants and kicked out of his shoes. “Not yet. I want to watch you make yourself come first.”

  She gasped at the intensity of his words and how it drove her hands to move harder and faster against her body, as if he were the one guiding them. He slid the zipper down on his slacks, and as she slipped a third finger within her slick folds, he dragged his pants down, revealing his fully erect length. She licked her lips, ready to beg for it, but he stayed out of reach.

  “Come for me, Harley,” he ordered as he watched.

  The pressure built, and she struggled to maintain her rhythm as she neared the edge of ecstasy. She pinched her clit hard, and the second she shifted her gaze to his cock waiting to slam home into her, she lost it and cried out, her fingers thrusting into her and her muscles flexing around them as she came.

  “God, I love you,” he groaned as he moved her hands over her head with one hand and spread her legs again for his body to fit. She was so wet all he had to do was thrust and he filled her in one try. She cried out louder as her orgasm exploded again.

  The wave of love she’d sensed from the couple today was nothing compared to what consumed her in Sam’s arms. For the past few weeks, they’d inched closer to the true heart of each other, filling the empty voids in their hearts and souls with love given by the other. He claimed her as his own and bent over her body as she rose to meet his kiss with a fierce one of her own. She needed him to feel the love in her heart and know she was his.

  When the second orgasm ripped through her body, Harley screamed his name. He slammed into her one final time as he swelled, and she felt his warmth spill inside her. They clung to each other as if afraid to let go in case this moment never came again. Sam’s ragged yell drowned out her own as he collapsed onto the bed beside her, slipping from her body and shaking from their lovemaking.

  Harley rolled over onto him, straddling his body as she kissed his lips, his cheeks, and his forehead. “You said you love me,” she whispered.

  He cracked a smile. “I did.”

  “I wanted to tell you today that I love you too.” She waited for him to freak out and say it was in the heat of the moment and he didn’t mean it, but his hands rubbed up her arms and he drew her down against his body.

  “Can we do this every time we decide to express our feelings?” he asked, and she laughed as he kissed the top of her head. Her body relaxed, at peace in his embrace.

  “I guess I’ll leave my panties in your pockets more often.”

  “I’d be okay with that,” he replied and flung his arms out to the side stretching. “I never thought I could be so turned on by you doing that.”

  “What? Touching myself?” she asked as she sat up and ran her hands down her chest to her stomach. “Is that your way of telling me I should do it more often or…” She trailed off with a wink.

  “Only when I’m around,” he grunted.

  “You’re around now,” she whispered and held her breasts in her hands, arching an eyebrow. “We don’t have to leave for a while, and that jacuzzi is calling my name.”

  Sam bucked his hips beneath her, and she gasped to feel him swelling already. “Well, in that case, may I suggest a bubble bath before we’re subjected to margaritas and karaoke?”

  Her heart fluttering
with pure joy knowing Sam felt the same for her as she did for him, she planted a loud smack of a kiss on his lips, leapt off the bed with a giggle, and ran into the bathroom with him hot on her heels. The happiness filling her heart was almost enough to erase the worries she had about dealing with Ricky and that she was still at a loss for how to get this man off her and Brianna’s backs.

  ***

  Marcus finished his third frozen mango margarita and leaned back in the booth, smacking his lips loudly. “Perfect, always perfect!”

  “Come on, open your present!” Harley insisted and slid the wrapped box closer.

  Sam glanced at it curiously, but when he’d asked earlier what it was, she said it would ruin the surprise. His hand slipped to her thigh beneath the table, and when she bit her lip in response, it took everything he had to remember it was his best friend’s birthday and there was no sneaking off to the bathroom for a quickie.

  Marcus took the box and shook it, but nothing rattled and Harley sighed overdramatically as she rolled her eyes. “Men and shaking things—what’s with that, really?”

  “It’s an age-old tradition,” Sam told her with a serious nod.

  “Very true. Men were shaking things long before women thought to do so to attract us,” Marcus added. He picked slowly at the edges of the paper until Harley reached over to try and tear the paper for him. He slid it out of her reach and unwrapped it quickly. His eyes narrowed for a second before they widened and he stared at her in shock. “No freaking way.”

  “What did you buy him?” Sam asked. Marcus tilted the box up, and he wished he hadn’t asked when he saw the karaoke machine. “You’re kidding, right? You know he’s going to keep that at the damn office and use it every day to piss me off.”

  “I promise, that was not my secret intent,” she told him and patted his leg with a wink.

  “Speaking of karaoke, I believe I am owed a song,” Marcus announced. “Sam, you’ve had a few margaritas. Go belt one out.”

  “Ah…I haven’t had nearly enough to drink to do that. I’ll pass for the moment.”