by Claire Adams
"It's nice to have met you, Leah," Sloan said. I nodded and waved without turning around.
"How'd it go, sugar?" Norma called as I rushed past her desk. "Stop and talk to me sometime, why don't ya?"
"Okay, it went okay," I said as I swiftly moved toward the door, avoiding all the questions that hung in the air between us. I didn't want to talk about our bet, not after having been blindsided by Jack and Sloan.
I marched back to the warehouse, feeling uneasy. I didn't like the fact that Jack unnerved me this much, but aside from quitting my job, which I would not do, I couldn't see how I was going to be able to avoid dealing with him. So, once I was done scolding myself for being so weak-willed, I set my jaw, squared my shoulders, and told myself that there was no way on Earth that Jack Yates was going to throw me for a loop.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jack
"She's cute," Sloan said after Leah had left my office. "Young, but really cute."
"She's a good warehouse manager," I shrugged. "Hadn't noticed much else. I'm trying to run a business, Sloan."
"Mmm-hmm," she said as she leaned down over the back of my chair and rested her hand on my shoulder, pointing out some notable figures on the screen in front of me.
"Sloan," I warned. "Knock it off."
"What?" she said as she leaned in close enough that I could feel her breath on my cheek. The sensation sent my body into overdrive.
"Back up," I growled as I shoved my chair back forcing her to step out of the way. I stood up and turned to look at her, noting that Leah had closed the door behind her. I moved toward it to open it thinking it would provide me with some security. As I did, I said, "You have to stop taunting me, Sloan."
"I'm not taunting you at all," she said, intercepting me and moving close enough to rest her palms on my chest. "We're both grownups, and I know you. I know what you want, and what you like. Why don't you let me give it to you?"
"Why are you doing this?" I asked as I took a step back. She followed. Her hands slipped lower to my waist as she spoke, "Jack, I know it's been a tough week. You're like a caged tiger. Let me help you work out some of the tension, hmm?"
"Sloan," I groaned as she unbuckled my belt and quickly unzipped my pants. "Stop. Please …"
"I don't think you really want me to," she whispered as she stretched up to bring her lips close enough to kiss me, but held back. Her hand was inside my pants, cupping me between my legs as I grew harder by the second. "Do you?"
"Oh God," I groaned as she slipped her hand inside my shorts and wrapped her fingers around my stiff shaft. She squeezed me tightly and then began slowly stroking the entire length. I knew there was no turning back. I couldn't stop because she wasn't going to.
She brushed her lips across mine, and in an instant, my defenses came tumbling down as I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to me, delivering a brutal kiss. If she was going to do this, then we were moving forward, no holds barred. I felt her smile as I gave in to my animal instincts, and it only took a few moments before we were clawing at each other like feral cats.
"You asked for it," I growled as I pulled back from a rough kiss and pushed her dress up around her waist.
"Mmm, I like it rough, you know that," she grinned as she yanked my pants down and licked her lips as she looked at what she'd unsheathed.
"Do you now?" I said as I pushed her up against the wall and held her hands over her head. I could see the hunger in her eyes as I ripped the small triangle of lace off of her hips and wedged a knee between her legs to force them open.
"Oh God, Jack, yes!" she moaned as I roughly shoved my hand between her legs and felt how wet she was already.
I slid my fingers through her wetness and felt her body respond to my touch. She'd let me go this far before, and I knew how much I liked it. She'd been the one who'd taken my virginity with her expert knowledge and taught me everything she knew about how to give a woman pleasure, but right now I wasn't thinking about that. Right now, I just had one thing on my mind.
"Jack, do it! I need it!" she moaned as she pushed her hips up to meet my fingers. I slid two inside her and felt her close around them. Warm and wet, I slid them back and forth as she continued moaning. I knew what she wanted, and despite the fact that it had been too long since I'd had any kind of release, I also knew that going down this road would lead to nothing good. "More, Jack! I need more!"
I pulled out and knit three fingers together before slipping them back into her pulsing warmth. I knew I'd hit the right spot when she closed her eyes and pushed her hips up to meet my thrusts. I kissed her hard as I brought her body to a shuddering climax, pinning her wrists tightly together as I watched her writhe and moan under my touch.
I was so hard I ached, but instead of relieving the need, I bit the inside of my cheek to remind myself to keep it under control. I still didn't trust Sloan, and I knew that if I gave in and satisfied my physical lust, it would be no time before she'd have me wrapped around her finger, ready to do her bidding until she got bored and moved on.
Once her breathing slowed to a normal rhythm, Sloan tipped her chin up and studied my face.
"What about you?" she asked with a playful grin. She pulled to free her wrists, but I kept them pinned to the wall as I ran a hand down her body.
"Sloan, I'm going to tell you this once, and once only," I said carefully forming my words. "If you want to get off, I'm happy to oblige, but anything beyond that, and I'm not playing the game."
"Why not? Afraid?" she taunted. "Are you afraid that you'll find something you can't live without out and screw up your plans to escape?"
"No, you've got it all wrong," I said as I let a smile slowly spread across my lips. "But then I'm pretty sure you already knew that."
"Listen, Jack," she said. "If we're going to make this work, then we need to fuel the rumor that we're a couple. It'll make us an unbeatable pair, and it'll keep the hounds at bay, if you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean," I said pulling her dress down with one hand before I let go of her wrists. "It's just that I don't want to play that game, Sloan. I don't like where it leads."
"You mean you don't like me," she pouted as she smoothed her dress and watched me stuff my swollen shaft back into my pants and zip them up.
"I like you fine," I said, shaking my head. "I just don't want to go down a road that leads to me letting you in and then getting kicked to the curb."
"So, that's it," she grinned. "You're still mad because I broke your teenage heart!"
"I'm not mad, Sloan," I said looking away. I wasn't mad. I had been hurt, and I didn't want to repeat that experience knowing full well where it was likely to end up. "I just don't want to do this the way you want to. So, the deal is that I'll get you off any time you want, but you don't get to touch me. Got it?"
"How could a girl turn that deal down?" she laughed as she pulled a compact out of her purse and checked her hair before smearing on a fresh layer of lipstick. "I'm in!"
"Good, then we've got a deal," I said holding my hand out. Sloan took one look at it and clasped it tightly.
"For now," she smiled. "It'll do for now."
I shook my head and moved back to the computer, knowing that working with Sloan was going to be a constant challenge.
*
Once Sloan and I had hashed out our individual duties, she left to pursue some new leads. My job would be focused on marketing our services and drumming up new business via the online offerings. Sloan would do it the old-fashioned way, by visiting clients and forming personal relationships with them. I knew that if she walked into any office on the planet, there would be no way she would walk out without a modicum of business. It crossed my mind to ask her how she accomplished this, but then I quickly decided that I didn't really want to know.
Let the magic stay magic, I thought to myself.
I walked out to the outer office to speak with Norma, but she was nowhere to be found. Since the phones weren't ringing, I shrugged a
nd headed down to the warehouse.
The Baby Steps warehouse was attached to the executive offices, and despite the fact that it had turned a profit every year for the past twenty years, my father had never once invested a dime in renovating the place.
The offices looked like a throwback to a 1970s television set with the popcorn ceilings and the metal desks covered in faux wood paneling. There was even avocado carpeting in some of the offices, though most of it had been pulled up and replaced with linoleum. I shook my head as I looked into office after office and found the same worn set up in each of them.
"At least the computers are somewhat new," I muttered as I walked down a fluorescent-lit hallway, feeling vaguely like I was in some kind of low-budget horror flick. The lights buzzed and flickered until, at the end of the hall, one of them simply cut out and died. I swore under my breath, "We have got to fix this shit!"
"Jack?" Leah said as she stuck her head out of her office and gave me a quizzical look. "What are you doing down here?"
"I finished up with Sloan and I wanted to talk with you about some of the changes we're thinking about implementing," I said as I looked into her eyes. The differences between Leah and Sloan were as vast as they could be. If Sloan was a thoroughbred racehorse—tall, lean, well kept—then Leah was the wild pony. Leah wasn't fashionable or expensively groomed, but her wildness was alluring.
"I see," she said as she turned and headed back into her office. I smiled as I followed her. There was something about the way that she wasn't intimidated by me, or my position, that made her even more attractive. She sat down and motioned for me to take a seat in one of the cracked, vinyl-coated chairs at her desk. "So, what's the plan?"
"We want to renovate the warehouse so that we can offer a wider range of products," I began.
"Wait, what? We already offer customers over twenty thousand products!" Leah exclaimed. "How many more do you think we can offer?"
"One hundred thousand," I said plainly.
"You have got to be kidding me," she said as her eyes grew wide. I could see her trying to imagine how we would fit the additional eighty thousand products into the warehouse, and I knew that it was mind-boggling.
"We're going to overhaul the warehouse and create room for them," I said as I pulled a rough sketch I'd done for Sloan out of my suit pocket and smoothed it out on the desk. "We're going to expand upward and create a multi-tiered deck where we now have empty space. We'll create a system of lifts and stairs that allow workers to quickly access the products, and a conveyer system that will allow the packages to be carried to the packaging area once the workers have loaded the order into the appropriate box."
"So, we're going to become exploiters," Leah said. "We're going to drive our employees to do more for less. Your father resisted this, Jack. He hated the way big companies drove their workers into the grave by upping production until it became impossible for anyone to actually meet the quotas. This is not how Baby Steps operates."
"We're not going to exploit anyone, Leah," I protested. "We're going to streamline the warehouse and make it easier for the workers to do their jobs without interference."
"But you're going to expect more for less!" she cried as she shot up out of her chair and began pacing along the side of the small room. "This is wrong, Jack! This is not how your father ran this company! I don’t know what bone you have to pick with him, but he ran this company fairly and was always decent to his workers. I have a bad feeling about these improvements and what they're going to do to the workers who've been loyal for years."
"I'm not going to exploit people!" I yelled as I stood up. "Why do you think that only bad things can come out of this change? Why are you such a damn pessimist?"
"Because I've seen what this kind of change can do to people!" she shouted at me as she stopped pacing.
She was inches from me in the small room, and I could hear her breathing. I wanted to reach out and push the stray piece of hair off of her face as I looked down into her soft-blue eyes. I could feel the need that I'd pushed aside earlier starting to rise again as she held my gaze. The memory of her pressed against my chest at the wake flooded my brain, and I felt myself grow instantly hard.
Neither of us moved a muscle.
"When are you going to start this project," Leah asked quietly. "I need to let the workers know so they don't get spooked."
"We're going to begin construction next week, but it won't interfere with business," I said, picking up the drawing from the desk and holding it in front of my pants so that my straining seams wouldn't be as obvious. “The storage platforms will be installed above the work floor, so you all will have to wear helmets, but other than that, the workers will be out of your way.”
"Fine, then let me know what you need from me, and I'll do my best to keep us on track in the warehouse," she said still holding my gaze. I couldn't look away, nor did I want to.
Finally, she broke the connection as she turned and opened her office door. I nodded and moved past her, slightly brushing against her as I made my exit. I was two steps out the door when I turned and ran right into her.
"Oof!" she cried as my hand hit her midsection causing her to double over. "What did you do that for?"
"Payback for the bloody nose," I grinned as I put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine now that the score is even, you big oaf!" she laughed as she stood up and tried to take a deep breath. "Damn, you hit hard!"
"Sorry, I really didn't mean to," I said, trying to look properly chastised. Leah burst out laughing, and the sound made me want to wrap my arms around her waist and pull her off the ground.
"What did you want to say?" she asked as I stood silently, staring at her.
"Oh, just that I really do want to keep this company running smoothly," I said. "I'm not trying to be the Big Bad Wolf."
"All right, well, I'll take you at your word and try not to treat you like the enemy," she said with a small smile that made me want to kiss her even more than I had when I first walked down to the warehouse.
"I'd appreciate that," I nodded as I fought back the urge, and turned and walked away.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Leah
It wasn't until Jack was safely out of view that I finally exhaled. Being that close to him put all of my senses on high alert and made it incredibly difficult to focus on anything but how much I wanted to feel his arms around me again.
"What are you, some kind of silly high school girl?" I muttered to myself as I walked back into my office and sat down in front of the computer. I punched the keyboard as I continued chastising myself, "Quit being an idiot! Whatever happened was obviously a mistake, and he has zero interest in you. Stop acting like a lovesick teenager. Ridiculous!"
"What's ridiculous?" Burt asked as he tapped on my door. "You okay, Leah?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking out loud," I said turning to face him. I was immediately alarmed by how pale Burt looked. "Are you okay?"
"I think I ate something bad at lunch," he said waving me off. "I'll be fine with a little Pepto and rest."
"Are you sure?" I asked eyeing him warily. Burt was one of the best warehouse guys, and I couldn't afford to have him out sick right now. "We need you, man."
"I know, I know," he grinned as he kept one arm wrapped around his midsection. "I'm going to cut out a little early and go to Urgent Care just to make sure."
"Go, go!" I said waving him away. "And call me to let me know if you're okay or if we need to start collecting for Gloria's widow fund!"
"Ha, ha, very funny," Burt said rolling his eyes. "I'm fine. I'll be in tomorrow morning."
"Take care of yourself, Burt," I said seriously. "We really do need you. Jack's got plans for upgrading the warehouse, and I can't afford to lose even one of you guys when they start this crazy renovation."
"I'm going to be here, boss," Burt assured me yet again. "No worries!"
I sat at my desk for a long time, thinking about all the changes that ha
d happened and all the ones that were about to follow it. I didn't like the fact that we were being run by someone who had no idea how the business had been run, nor did he seem to care about the traditions we held dear. He was intent on turning the business into a competitor with all the other online baby product suppliers, and I had some serious doubts about whether his plan would work.
"A hundred thousand products?" I said, shaking my head as I powered off my computer and began packing up to go home. Riley would be waiting for me to make dinner, if my mother hadn't already hauled her down to the bodega and stuffed her full of junk. That reminded me: I needed to pick up chicken and tortillas for dinner, and stop by Gordy's for the dry cleaning. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair and wished that I didn't have to do all of this alone.
"Dammit, Molly, where are you?" I whispered as I grabbed my things and headed to the train.
*
By the time I got home, it was almost dark, and Riley was waiting for me on the front steps. I waved at her as I came up the walk, but she didn't smile.
"What's up, buttercup?" I asked as I climbed the stairs and looked down at her.
"Gram is really sick, Leah," Riley said as she picked at her right hand. "She's been lying on the couch all afternoon and she won't talk to me anymore."
"What? She what?" I said, suddenly feeling sick in the pit of my stomach. I turned and went into the house calling, "Mama? Mama! Talk to me, Mama!"
My mother was lying on the couch with one arm draped over her forehead and the other across her stomach. I couldn't tell if she was breathing. I dropped the grocery bags and ran to her side, shaking her as I called her name again and again. When she didn't respond, I shook her harder.
"Mama! Mama! WAKE UP!" I shouted into her ear. That got a slight response, so I kept yelling until she somehow pushed her way out of her drunken stupor and opened her eyes.
"Why the fuck are you screaming in my ear?" she mumbled in a drunken voice that I recognized as having had way too much vodka in entirely too short a time period. "Knock it off, Leah. You're being a nag."
