“Your starting point.” He removes the folder from under his arm and thrusts it at me. “We’ll go over it at the office. We can’t talk here. Get dressed.”
Oh yeah, he’s panicking. Either that or he’s delusional.
“No.” I fold my arms over my chest.
“What?” His brows pull together. It’s almost as handsome as the arched-brow look he flashed earlier.
“Ashton, I have a daughter. You might’ve heard me mention her ten times a day since we’ve met,” I explain. “I don’t have a nanny at my beck and call. I don’t have family nearby. I’m her sole caregiver. That’s why I’m strict about the hours I spend in the office. That’s why I’ve requested to work remotely after five pm. Does any of this sound familiar to you?”
He holds up the manila folder.
“If this gets out, it’ll ruin all of us.”
“I understand,” I nod. “But I need you to understand that my responsibility to Jade outranks everything else. I can’t go into the office because I need to be here with her while she sleeps.”
“She’s sleeping. She won’t know the difference.”
I blink in shock.
“You’re either really desperate or really stupid.”
“The former.”
“I will be in the office at seven thirty. I will take Jade to school early so I can be there to help you. That’s all I can offer. Take it or leave it.”
“I don’t think you understand the seriousness of the issue,” Ashton says.
“That’s it.” I clench my teeth. “What I did just now was the polite way of telling you ‘no’. Clearly, that didn’t work. So, we’re going to try a new tactic. I’m going to ask you to take that folder and all the research inside it and shove it up your ass.”
Ashton’s eyes widen. His mouth tightens into an angry line.
“Tomorrow when I come in you can take it out of your ass so we can get to work. Until then, good night. Don’t knock on my door again or I’ll call the super.”
I fling my door forward as if to slam it but I catch it at the last moment and slowly click the door shut.
“That was anticlimactic,” Ashton calls through the door. I know he’s doing it to get a rise out of me. Unfortunately, he’s learned that I do my best work when I’m riled up. It’s not fair that he’s handsome, hard-working, and perceptive.
I press my back against the door and close my eyes. I don’t move until I hear his retreating footsteps.
I glance at the clock on the microwave as I head back to my room. I have to be in the office in four hours.
Once I crawl back under my covers and lay my head down on my goose feather pillows, I let out a deep sigh. I wait for the heavy relaxation that precedes sleep but it doesn’t come. I’m wired.
I had to be firm with Ashton just now but the truth is that I’d love to rush into the office and pull solutions out of thin air. It’s one of my main thrills in life.
I love my job. No one will ever contradict that statement. On a weird, masochistic level, I love working with Ashton. Yes, he sometimes behaves like he’s my superior when he’s not but I get a twisted rush from knocking him down a peg. We’re evenly matched for each other in the corporate world. That’s why we work so well together.
As much as I love my job, I’ll always love Jade more. It’s taken me years to find the perfect balance between my work life and my home life. I’ve made many mistakes on that front in the past. I’m sure to make mistakes in the future as well. Refusing to go into the office was not a mistake. Ashton won’t convince me otherwise no matter what snarky remarks he tosses my way tomorrow.
Still, I’ve never seen him so riled up. Whatever the story is about that military unit, it must be bad.
Stop thinking about it, I scold myself.
It could be a lot worse. Jade could have woken up after all that racket.
Thank goodness for small favors.
“Mommy…” a voice calls out.
Oh no.
“Mommy,” Jade’s voice calls out with more urgency. “I’m scared!”
Sighing, I get back out of bed and walk into Jade’s room. Her bed is a twin but she’s small for her age. It’s easy for me to squeeze in beside her. She rolls over and snuggles against me. I rest my cheek on the top of her head.
Jade’s awake. Hopefully she goes back to sleep soon.
And then Ashton Deveaux…I’ll make him pay for this.
5
Ashton
“Do you know what time it is?” The senator asks me, his tired voice coming at me from the other side of the line. He doesn’t wait for me to offer a reply. “It’s four in the goddamn morning, Mr. Deveaux!”
“I understand, sir, but—”
“Don’t call me again,” he says, and then hangs up on me.
Usually I’m the one hanging up on people’s faces, but tonight this bullshit has already happened far more times than I would’ve liked. First it was Jeremiah, then the Governor and a lot of low-ranking city officials, and now this asshole senator. I just hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Gritting my teeth, I throw my phone across the living room. It lands on the couch with a bounce, and then it tumbles straight onto the ground. I think about picking it up, but quickly give up on that. Why bother? No one’s taking my calls this late in the night. Or early in the morning. Most people I’ve tried to reach have either hung up on me, or gone off on an profanity-laced tirade.
I just don’t get why people bother with sleep when everything’s going to shit. Maybe Jeremiah’s right. I need to start brushing up on my people skills. I’ve never been bad at handling clients but, God, I hate dealing with people. No wonder Jeremiah always assigns me number-heavy cases. The numbers never care what time it is, and they sure as hell don’t hang up on you when you need them the most.
I guess I’ll have to wait till morning before I pick up my phone again.
Sitting straight in my chair, I look at the dozens of documents resting on top of my dining table. Tristan has pulled a few strings with his old army buddies, and I’ve managed to get my hands on some military documents. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any relevant information in them. US officials sure did a good job burying every single piece of evidence relating to this case. That just makes it even more obvious to me: someone of importance leaked this on purpose.
But why?
I turn on the TV to be bombarded by more sensationalism, and I cross my living room and plop myself down on the couch. I spent the next half an hour trying to comb through the information on TV, but it’s useless. There’s nothing there that’ll help me make this problem go away.
I need to talk to people. Senators, politicians, city officials. Anyone that might be connected to this, even if just remotely. Thing is, how the hell am I supposed to do it when no one wants to be connected to this case?
“Goddammit,” I mutter under my breath. It seems like I’m really going to need Emily to work this case with me. She’s much better than me at handling this kind of bullshit. I might be the guy everyone in the firm runs to when the numbers don’t add up, but when it comes to people...Emily’s the one with the magic touch.
She has a way with people, there’s no denying that. I don’t know if that has to do with her elite upbringing or her easy smile, but I don’t really care. She has the exact set of skills I need in order to solve this equation, and if I need to work with her...then so be it. Too bad that she isn’t as focused as I am. She’s far more interested in playing babysitter, it seems.
Jumping up to my feet, I pace my living room for a couple of minutes, trying to settle on a course of action. If Emily were here, she’d know exactly who we’d need to pester in order to get some answers. I think about calling her again, but I quickly decide against it. She was more than ready to bite my head off when I came knocking, and I’m pretty sure she’s put her phone on airplane mode by now.
There’s nothing left for me to do other than wait.
I check my wristwatch again, but the ticking hands don’t seem to have moved at all. Half past four in the morning. How the hell am I supposed to wait till office hours without driving myself insane? I’m too amped up to get any sleep, but I can’t keep working the case without Emily’s assistance.
Kicking off my shoes, I pad my way into the bathroom and turn the shower on. Maybe that will help me relax. I take my clothes off slowly, trying to waste as much time as possible, and only then do I step under the running water. I stand there for a couple of minutes, completely still, and allow the steam rising from the warm water to take over the bathroom.
For a moment, my mind is drawn to that model at the bar. What did she say her name was? No, she didn’t give me her name, just her phone number. Tristan saw me throwing away the napkin where she had scribbled it down, but what Tristan doesn’t know is that I’m pretty good at memorizing numbers on the fly. I consider giving her a call, but it doesn’t take more than a couple of seconds for me to throw that idea out the window.
Why bother?
Sure, it’d be nice to relieve some of the pressure with someone willing, but I can’t be bothered to have someone around right now. Still, that doesn’t stop my mind from rolling down that path like a boulder. It has been quite a while since I’ve been with anyone, and my body sure as hell needs some release.
Leaning back against the tiles on the wall, I close my eyes and reach down with one hand. I try to make my mind conjure up images of the blonde model, but it’s not her who appears on my mind’s theater.
“Oh, fuck,” I groan, Emily’s angry expression dancing behind my shut eyelids. The last thing I want is to be thinking of her right now, but I can’t seem to help it. It’s her damn fault. Who the hell told her it was okay to answer the door with those skimpy pajamas of hers?
I remember the way her low-cut top showed a hint of mocha cleavage, the rising curve of her breasts pushing back against the silk, and I start breathing harder when I recall the way her pajama bottoms seemed to accentuate her long toned legs.
Just a couple of seconds later and I’m as hard as a rock.
Wrapping my fingers around my erection, I slowly start moving my hand up and down the entire length of my cock. In my mind, Emily’s frown turns into a welcoming smile, and her slightly parted lips become an open invitation for a kiss. I wonder about the taste of her lips, and my hand starts working harder and harder.
I imagine Emily’s naked body, her smooth skin under my fingertips, and my breathing becomes so shallow I don’t even know if my lungs are still working properly.
“Fuck,” I growl, barely believing what I’m doing. I’ve always noticed the irresistible curves on Emily body—it’s impossible not to do so—but I’ve never surrendered to that attraction before. I know I shouldn’t be doing this, especially since we’ll have to be working together from now on, but I can’t stop myself.
I keep on going until my mind is working at full speed, busy imagining the sound of Emily’s moans, her legs wrapped tight around my waist, and I feel my eyes rolling in their orbits as I feel my insides clenching. The pressure I feel inside me forces me to stroke myself even harder, and it doesn’t long before I feel fire and thunder rising up the length of my cock.
I let out a deep groan as I finally explode, my cock twitching against my fingers. My heart is hammering hard, and my lungs feel as if they’re about to pop anytime soon. I suck one deep breath to calm myself down, and when I realize that it’s going to take more than that, I reach for the faucet and turn it the opposite way.
A fraction of a second later and the pleasant warmth of the water is replaced by icy cold, and every nerve ending I have is jolted back to life. With my eyes wide open, I take a quick shower and then step out and wrap a cotton towel around my waist.
My reflection in the mirror seems to mock me.
I was so hellbent on pushing Emily out of this case, and look at me now. Masturbating in the shower while thinking of her. Shit, my people skills really are a mess. Thankfully, Emily will never know about this. As beautiful as she might be, I know this case is what really matters, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to jeopardize it all just because I feel attracted toward my partner.
Besides, it’s not like my fantasies can even become a reality.
I imagined a submissive Emily, and that’s the farthest thing away from reality I could’ve imagined. Emily isn’t the kind of girl to submit. She doesn’t do it in the boardroom, and I doubt she would do it in the bedroom. And yet, something inside me longs for the challenge. It’d be amazing to be the one making her submit for the first time.
“Let it go,” I command myself as I put some boxer briefs on. Hanging the towel behind the bathroom door, I make my way toward the bedroom and throw myself on top of the mattress. Even though it’s the last thing I want, I close my eyes and try to drift off to sleep.
When it finally happens, my last thoughts are of Emily.
6
Emily
I’m standing in line at my favorite coffee place trying to decide if I’m going to get my usual—café latte—this morning or something different, and I realize that I’ve read the menu three times, and still haven’t absorbed anything. I’m holding a jar of snickerdoodles-product of last night’s baking session after Jade couldn’t sleep.
I’m one of those people who need their morning coffee before I’m ready to face the day, so combine that with the fact that Ashton showed up at my house last night at three in the damn morning and you’ve got yourself a tired mom.
What. A. Night.
Not only was it ridiculously late when he showed up, but he ended up waking Jade up, and it took me forever to get her to go back to sleep. That’s entirely on him and I have every intention of letting him know just how pissed I am.
“Morning.”
A deep, domineering voice greets me in my ear and I gasp, nearly jumping into the air and dropping my jar as I whip around.
And speak of the devil.
Standing behind me in line is Ashton himself, and I glare at him, shaking my head as I scoff.
“What did you do that for?”
“Right,” He snickers, rolling his eyes, “How terrible of me to greet you and say good morning. What was I thinking?”
Smartass.
“No, I meant why did you sneak up on me?”
He looks at me like I’ve got two heads and then he sighs, chuckling as he looks around and gestures to the coffee shop full of people.
“Uh, I didn’t sneak up on you, Emily; I walked up behind you in line. In a coffee shop. Full of people making noise. What’s up with you? Why are you so jumpy?”
Okay, so he has a point, I guess he didn’t really sneak up on me after all. Damnit, I need that coffee.
“Fair point. I’m not usually so bad, but someone woke me up at 3am last night banging on my door.”
He crosses his arms over his chest with a grin that makes him look more handsome then I’d like to admit, chuckling.
“Well maybe if you had answered your phone, someone wouldn’t have had to show up at your door so late. This is a serious job you know, we need to be focused.”
“Well I was home with my daughter—who you woke up by the way, and it took ages to get her back to sleep—so my focus was on her. While I’m working, my focus will be on work, don’t you worry.”
The line moves forward—finally—and I make my order. Much to my surprise, Ashton leans forward and adds his order in as well. I’m going to snap back and tell him to buy his own damn coffee, but before I can, he tells the barista that both of our orders are on him. I look back at him, brow cocked and an amused smirk on my face.
“And you’re buying my coffee why? What are you playing at?”
“Sheesh, I’m not that much of an ass; I’m not playing at anything. I woke up your daughter, so I figured I’d buy you coffee. We’re even.”
I’m not sure that a coffee will make up for waking up my daughter at 3am by banging on our door and sca
ring the crap out of her, but hey, it could be worse, I guess.
I thank him and move to walk away but he starts talking, going on and on about what he found out in the boardroom. I haven’t had my coffee yet and there’s no way I’m ready to deal with this right now. Not yet. So to make my point clear, I shove a snickerdoodle into his mouth, and a jar of them into his hands.
The combination of the fact that his mouth is full and the surprise and confusion he has from being given a jar full of baked goods is enough to both amuse me and stop him from talking. Win-win if you ask me.
He balks, and before he can even start to open his mouth again I shake my head, putting my hand up to signal him to not even bother.
“Listen, Ashton,” I say firmly, brows raised as I take a breath, “Thanks for the coffee, but when you woke Jade up last night it took forever to get her back to sleep. In fact, I couldn’t get her back to sleep until I agreed to make cookies with her. Hence the snickerdoodles.”
I take another deep breath and then sigh, smiling as I bring my gaze down to my coffee and slowly bring it to my lips.
“Now, you can shut up until I’ve had my coffee, or I can choke you to death with my baked goods. Your choice.”
I take a sip of coffee and the second that the precious liquid touches my tongue I groan softly, a relieved smile encompassing my face as I drink it down. God, there’s nothing like that first sip of hot coffee, is there?
He somehow manages to chew the snickerdoodle faster than I’ve ever seen anyone chew one in their life, and starts rambling on right away about what he found. Again.
So much for being able to drink my coffee.
I’m listening to him, of course, I don’t want to have to repeat this conversation, but I’m also paying attention to everyone else in the shop. Specifically, a few people that I know and recognize. And as luck would have it, they notice me as well. Perfect. He keeps rambling on and on, ignoring the fact that I’m still trying to finish my coffee, so I manage to wave over a few people and speak with them as he does.
Office Fling (Manhattan Bad Boys BWWM Interracial Romance) Page 3
