by Kylie Walker
“You mean Chase Louis?”
“Who else?” Natalie raised an eyebrow.
Jordan grinned even as her heart raced a little, remembering the tension between them. It had been undeniable—as professional as she had begged herself to be. It had almost been a struggle just to keep from fanning herself. She had been sure somebody had turned up the thermostat in there every time he looked at her with those sexy green eyes of his. Bedroom eyes if ever there were any.
The girls took her momentary silence as all the confirmation they needed, and both of them hollered with laughter. “As good as he looks online?” Nat asked with a wink.
“Were you stalking him?”
“Maybe a little. I mean, who wouldn’t? Didn’t you when you first found out you had an interview with his company?”
Jordan couldn’t deny it, and the three of them collapsed in laughter. “Of course!” she laughed and then wiped the tears from her eyes. “He’s…overwhelming. Let’s put it that way.”
“Oh, come on. You can do better than that,” Laurel prompted.
They wouldn’t let her off the hook. She didn’t feel comfortable going into the details of the way he had made her feel, so she kept it PG-13. “He’s gorgeous, but you knew that. Commanding. He has that sort of confidence you only have when you were born with money and looks, you know? And his body!” She swooned and leaned against Laurel for support. “What I wouldn’t give for the chance to see him without his clothes on. Holy shit.”
“Was there a wet spot on your panties?” Laurel laughed.
“Laurel!”
“Well?” She shrugged blithely. Jordan didn’t respond.
“Well you don’t have to say anything, I can see it in your eyes.”
Jordan blushed, thinking about the fact that she was actually wet when she had left his office. She had thought about him all the way home and she might even think about him later that night, in bed with her vibrator. That was her business, though, as long as she kept it professional during work hours.
Jordan glanced back at her friend and caught her gazing out at the dance floor. She tried to appear casual but Jordan knew her friend was lonely no matter how much she protested. Natalie had walked in on her boyfriend screwing one of the girls from his office almost a year before and she hadn’t been with anybody since then. Jordan could tell she wanted to try again but just couldn’t trust that easily. She knew how it felt.
“See anybody you like?” she asked her.
Natalie shook her head. “I mean, yeah, there are hot guys here. You have eyes.”
“I do.”
“They’re probably assholes,” she muttered and finished her champagne. Jordan patted her on the back.
“Not all of them. The odds say at least one has to be a good guy.”
“Yeah, but what are the odds that I will find the good guy? Slim to none.” She shrugged. Jordan knew it wasn’t worth arguing about, especially once she made up her mind, so she let it go and looked around for herself. Not that she would pick up a guy any more than Natalie would. It had been a lot more than just one year for her. More like six.
She caught a glimpse of a tall, dark-haired man in a navy suit and her heart skipped a beat. Chase? Suddenly she hated everything she wore, her hair and even her choice of beverage. Everything. What if he came over? What if she said or did something stupid? What would he think of her? Was he there with another woman? Would he be upset if he saw her there since she was supposed to start work the next day? She wanted to melt onto the floor.
The man turned toward her then and her heart sank and swelled at the same time. She was glad it wasn’t him since that helped her avoid a lot of potential awkwardness. Still, it sort of sucked, she thought. She had wanted it to be him. She wanted to see him again, and not in the office. If they could set the place on fire during a simple interview, what could they do in a club? No, it was better that they not see each other outside of work. She had waited long enough to find a job like the one with Chase. She couldn’t screw it up by letting her hormones run out of control. That would be the stupidest move ever.
How strange, she thought as she looked around the club. She was sure the guys there thought they were something special. Most of them, anyway. They thought they were hot, manly, that they would get lucky by acting the way guys did in clubs. Trying to dance with women without permission, buying drinks, forcing their masculinity and power on those around them; trying to convince a woman to take them home or to let them inside.
Compared to Chase, they were all little boys. Even Jordan knew how ridiculous it was to compare them to him, especially when she had only just met him that day. It wasn’t fair to take her first impression and project it onto everyone else, but since she had no intention of meeting a guy and wasn’t much of a dancer, it gave her something to do. She watched the interaction between the people around her. The way the men pushed and tried and forced, while the women either responded positively or otherwise. How would Chase handle himself if he were there? He wouldn’t have to try, would he? No, he could sit back and let the women come to him. He would be the one taking his pick of the hottest girls in the room. His sheer sexuality and strength must draw women to him like flies to honey. She could only imagine how much action his bed has seen.
She wondered what he was doing right now at eleven o’clock on a Monday night. She bet that he was out with a gorgeous, classy woman with a name like Giselle or Bianca. Or maybe they were having sex in his penthouse while Jordan sat in a club, nursing a glass of champagne that Chase probably wouldn’t have rinsed his mouth with. She pictured him in bed with a faceless woman. He was on top and her legs were wrapped around him while he pummeled her with what she imagined was a long, thick and powerful cock. She was screaming, clawing at him, begging him to ride her harder and harder. She was calling his name and shrieking in pleasure as he conquered her, body and soul.
Jordan realized she was a little flushed and more than a little out of breath. It was time to go home—she’d had a long day and tomorrow she would have what was likely to be an even longer one. She also needed time to relieve the painful throbbing between her legs that just the thought of Chase Louis had stirred in her.
Chapter 4
Chase
“So? How did your interview go today?”
Chase heard the tone in Trevor’s voice and rolled his eyes. “You did deliberately send her my way, then. I thought you had.”
“Who, me?” He laughed. Chase pictured him on the golf course, or in his hot tub, or somewhere else where he could live a carefree life. He was a good guy but unlike Chase he had no desire to settle into work anytime soon. Then again, Trevor had a choice. His father still ran his own company. Chase’s father was dead. Somebody had to run things.
“She’s something, all right.” That was an understatement. Just the thought of her was enough to make Chase twitch below the waist. He shifted in his seat and put his feet up on the coffee table. Samantha was in the shower, getting herself ready for him, or so she had said.
“Something? She’s more than something. She’s smokin’ hot.” Chase rolled his eyes again at Trevor’s dated choice of words.
“And she’s an amazingly talented photographer,” Chase added.
“Oh, yeah. She knows her shit, for sure. I wouldn’t recommend her just because she’s gorgeous.”
“Right.”
“Hey, I mean it.” Trevor got serious, fast. “We both know how important this is to the company. And I know how important it is to you, even if you won’t admit it.”
Chase smiled. He was glad that they were on the phone. Otherwise, he might want to hug Trevor or punch him in the face. “Thanks.”
“So you think she’ll be right for you, huh?”
“I think she would be right for anything, honestly. But yeah, she’ll kick ass, for sure. I have her starting tomorrow, and I hope to start shooting next week. I think this is gonna turn out well. The creative team is coming up with great ideas—we’ll floa
t them past you at the end of the week when we have our meeting.”
“Looking forward to it. Will the delicious Miss Price be there?”
“I’ll find a way to make sure she needs to be,” Chase promised. “You deserve something better to look at in one of those meetings than my ugly mug.”
“Oh, thank Christ. Ugly fuck.” Chase was laughing to himself as he got off the phone, glad at least one person from his “old” life had stuck by him through everything he had been through. Trevor was the only friend who had stuck, probably because he was the only one who knew Chase wasn’t capable of what he had been convicted of. He had never told Trevor the truth, and Trevor had never asked. He didn’t have to ask. He just knew.
Chase heard a noise in the bedroom, which he took as a signal that he should enter. Sam liked to be totally clean and fresh for him whenever they were together. He didn’t mind, though he couldn’t understand why she didn’t just take a shower at her place.
When he walked into the room, he saw that she had already lit candles. So she was going for romance, was she? She stood by the bed, dressed in a black lace bra and thong with almost her entire exquisite body on display for him. A thick sheath of white-blonde hair hung over one shoulder, waved just a bit, and it reminded him of one of those old movie stars from the forties. Her full, pouty lips curved into a sly smile.
“Come here, big boy.” She held her hands out to beckon him. He let his cock lead the way. He couldn’t think about Jordan. He couldn’t think about anything or anybody else. It wasn’t fair to Samantha, who was there for him at that moment. All she wanted was to please him. He touched her and let his hands roam over her soft skin. She liked it when he stroked her ass, which was why she wore thongs when they were together. She shivered and moaned softly and goosebumps skittered across her skin in the wake of his touch. She tipped her head back and he avoided the blood-red lipstick she wore as he ran his tongue in a wet trail from her chest to her chin.
“You taste so good,” he growled, going in for another lick.
“All for you, baby. It’s all for you.” He believed her, too. That was the sad part. He felt nothing for her except lust, but she went out of her way for him. She didn’t ask or demand anything but he knew she wanted so much more.
She sat down on the edge of the bed with a smile and reached for his belt. Those thoughts were tucked away for now as she unbuckled, unbuttoned and unzipped him. She moved slow and deliberate. He grinned down at her and wrapped his fingers in her hair. She let the pants drop to his knees and touched him softly through his shorts. He was hard and ready for her, and when her tongue darted out to lick her lips, he twitched in anticipation. If only she were a brunette, he could imagine she was Jordan.
Whoa. He couldn’t think like that, he reminded himself. Just because the girl was hot didn’t mean she was the only girl in the world. She was somewhere else, doing something else. Samantha was the one with his cock in her hands. Soon to be in her mouth. She smiled before she freed him and nudged his shorts down inch by slow inch. His cock finally sprang free, fully erect and ready for action.
“Mm…ready for me, huh? What should I do with this?”
“Put it in your mouth,” he muttered. “Suck it.”
“Say please,” she murmured and stroked him slowly.
“Suck it now. Please.” He growled in an impatient tone. He didn’t like when she made him beg or even pretend to beg. But, she gave great head so that made it almost worth it.
She lowered her head and extended her tongue to lick him from the base of his shaft to the very tip before she took him into her mouth. He sighed in satisfaction, closed his eyes and held her head while she bobbed up and down. She used her tongue to stroke the underside of his hard cock while her lips held onto him tight. She groaned and the vibrations radiated through his cock. He gritted his teeth and willed himself to hold back. He didn’t want to come so soon…but damn it was hard. He had been so turned on all day thinking about Jordan that he was on the verge of coming after just a minute or two. He closed his eyes and couldn’t help himself. He imagined that it was Jordan sucking his cock. In his mind Jordan was the one with her lips around him and her tongue moved in circles along the underside while he slowly fucked her mouth. It was Jordan’s thick, brown hair his fingers were tangled up in and her delicate fingers, long and skillful, that stroked his bare ass, his thighs, and his balls. He felt a hand reach up to stroke his chest and run long fingernails over his muscled torso. He had almost forgotten it was really Samantha in front of him, so consumed with his thoughts of Jordan.
He thrust his hips and fucked her mouth harder as she groaned with pleasure, urging him on. She sucked harder and faster. She wanted him to explode in her mouth. He felt those nails dig into his ass cheeks and he couldn’t hold back a second longer. He came with a long, loud groan and she lapped up every last drop. He took a deep breath, relieved at last of the painful engorgement that had bothered him all day. But when he looked down, it was Samantha’s brown eyes he looked into. Not the blue-gray of Jordan’s eyes. He couldn’t deny the slight twinge of disappointment.
Fuck. What was wrong with him?
Chapter 5
Jordan
What a way to spend the first day at work. Staying long after everybody else went home. She wasn’t trying to gain points with management, either. She had spent so much time getting acquainted with the ins and outs of the company that she hadn’t been able to get much actual work done. Chase wasn’t one to give her time to get her feet wet before starting on the campaign. He expected her to hit the ground running. She was okay with that if not just a little bit overwhelmed.
Almost as soon as she had gotten to work, Brigitte had presented her with an office and a stack of rejected proofs.
“Wow,” Jordan whispered as she took in her office. It was the first time in her life she had ever had her own office. She was used to working out of her living room, kitchen or bedroom, or just anywhere that she could find a little space and a little time. What would it be like to have an office just for her? She could leave her work there for a change instead of struggling to find a way to balance work and life when she did both in her apartment.
“I guess you like it, then,” Brigitte smiled. “Chase gave me instructions to approve any alterations you felt necessary.”
“He did, huh?” Jordan had grinned, settling down in her chair. “While we’re on the topic, a hot tub would look great in that corner by the window.” She pointed to the corner in question, where a potted plant and set of bookshelves sat.
Brigitte chuckled prettily, making Jordan wonder if there was anything she ever did that wasn’t pretty or graceful. The tall willowy blonde might have made her feel self-conscious if she wasn’t so nice too. “I’ll be sure to float that past him. You might give him some ideas about his office.” Brigitte turned her attention to the proofs stacked high on the desk and said, “You’ll see a lot of rejects in here,” “Mr. Louis wanted me to get these together so you could see what he absolutely doesn’t want for this campaign.”
Jordan’s eyes had widened when she took in the stack of photos. “Are these all for this one campaign?” she asked, dreading the answer. Was he really that demanding?
“Many are from this campaign, while others are rejects from past campaigns the car company has run.”
“Oh, that’s helpful. So I’ll know what the client doesn’t want, not just Mr. Louis.”
“Precisely.”
“He’s a pretty smart guy,” she mused with a grin.
“You would be surprised. Let me know if there’s anything else you need. You’ll find I’ve scheduled meetings for you today.”
And she had. A lot of meetings. Nearly an entire day’s worth. Jordan met with Human Resources to fill out paperwork, with various members of the different teams, she would be interacting with…copywriters, graphic designers and the like. It had been too much information to take in all at once, but that was the same in any big company on the firs
t day. That was what she had told herself, at least, so she wouldn’t feel hopelessly overwhelmed and like it was her fault for being too slow on the pick-up.
At least she had been able to settle in and get some real work done once the office started emptying out at the end of the day. At that point, she had begun flipping through the proofs, photo after photo. All with something wrong. Sometimes it was obvious, like a clear flaw in the angle or the lighting. At other times it wasn’t. She put those photos aside in a pile of their own. Images that were technically great, compelling, even beautiful—but not what the client wanted.
She went back to those, studying them with care. Whenever a word or phrase came to mind that she could use to describe them, she wrote it down. Boring. Cliché. Stuffy. Old-fashioned. Off-brand. She compared them to other ads for the company, the ones that had been approved. A simple Google search showed her what she wanted to know. They were going for a younger audience, that was clear. “This ain’t your daddy’s luxury automobile,” she murmured, wondering how the copywriting department would feel about using it as a tagline.
Before she knew it, the light outside the windows was virtually nonexistent, save for the light coming from other buildings around hers. The sun had long since set. It was after eight o’clock. She stretched with a sigh, understanding why she felt so hungry. She hadn’t eaten since noon, and even then she had spent more time flipping through the employee manual than eating her chicken salad sandwich.
Would it be all right to leave? That was one thing she wasn’t sure about. What constituted a full day’s work there? She didn’t have a set task list, which set the job apart from any other one she’d had. She wasn’t a shift worker, either. It was a change in mindset. She decided to wrap it up for the day, unsure why she felt a twinge of disappointment. Maybe it was knowing how much time and effort she had put into looking good on her first day when she hadn’t seen the very person she had put out the effort for. It didn’t matter, or so she told herself. She couldn’t spend her time with Louis Advertising drooling over Chase Louis. It was fun to have a crush, but that crush would get in the way if she let it get out of control. Besides, she would probably see him the next day, or the day after that. He had told her they would be working closely together, hadn’t he?
