Held Down

by Pamela Prim

  “The courthouse is open tomorrow.”

  “Ha,” Reece laughed. “I didn’t bring anything to wear.”

  “That’s okay, I hear you don’t have to dress up for that sort of thing.”

  She couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking, but the look in his eyes said the idea wasn’t nearly as shocking as she’d expected it to be. The even more abrasive fact was that she wasn’t as opposed to it as she thought she’d be either. She wasn’t going to push the issue, but marrying a man like Reece? It could certainly be worse.

  “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll marry you on the morrow, babe.”

  “Well you’re in luck. I won’t hold you to it. After all, you did make me dinner.”

  “Dinner is what you’re going to remember about tonight?”

  “Was I supposed to remember anything else?” she asked, a giggle burning to escape her throat. Reece put the spatula down and chased Sadie back into the living room, catching her just as she reached the couch. Her laughter echoed through the empty house as he turned her in his arms. Their kiss spun out and held all the possibilities of newly discovered love.

  Story 26

  Susan dragged herself out of bed, hitting her alarm clock with a force that could only come out of resentment. She looked in the mirror and laughed upon seeing how bedraggled and haggard she looked. It was lucky that she didn’t ever sleep with anybody—he’d be scared off the moment he saw her wake up. Susan went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to relax her muscles and rinse her hair clean. When she was finished, she got ready for the day, made herself look ever the professional with a tight, neat ponytail behind her back, a modest-thing tweed skirt, and a blouse that buttoned up to the neck. This was essentially her uniform when she went into work. Her boss, Tyson Landis, was always telling her to relax, to let her hair down, but it was something she just wasn’t capable of doing. She was mortified to think of the lack of professionalism it would require going into the job wearing her hair loose.

  When she arrived at the office, things seemed to be in crisis. The looks on everyone’s faces would have made her laugh had they not scared the shit out of her just from anticipating the mess she’d have to clean up. Behind his desk, Tyson was pacing impatiently, one hand holding his phone to his ear and the other tapping nervously on his thigh. This was something he did rarely, as the man was typically completely unflappable.

  Susan waited for his phone call to be over before she questioned him.

  “Tyson,” she said, “What is going on?”

  He shot her a look, then sat down in his chair and ran his hand over his head. Tyson was handsome even when he was upset. His skin was dark and smooth, his eyes even darker. He was always well-dressed in suits that were tailored to every specific measurement of his body. His head was shaved bald but he had a black goatee that accentuated the lines of his jaw and cheekbones. Honestly, and she would only ever admit this to herself, Susan had had a crush on him since she’d started and every time he looked her way, a she felt butterfly wings flutter in the stomach. Susan was absolutely inexperienced with men in general, having never gone further than chaste kisses with one, but hoped that if she had to choose anybody to touch her, it would be Tyson Landis.

  “They’re coming today. Not next week. Today.”

  Susan’s jaw dropped. Them. The potential partners—the two men who, if the companies merge, would almost double the value of Tyson’s considerable empire.

  “Why today?”

  “They said it would be more convenient than waiting until next week.”

  “But one day’s notice?”

  “No,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Zero days. They called me this morning.”

  Susan blanched, her fingers clenching and unclenching over the leather-bound calendar she was carrying around the office at all times. It was like a security blanket to her and the blanket was tearing, ripped apart by the mere thought of a major unscheduled event, perhaps the most important event they had anticipated all year.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Go prepare the presentation, Susie,” he said, sighing, “and get me coffee, please.”

  It took her about an hour to get through the first task, putting together the binders for the presentation as well as double-checking the hardware to make sure everything was ready for display. Susan cursed him for refusing to hire interns—they would have gotten it done much more quickly, but he said he didn’t trust anybody he hadn’t properly vetted and he just didn’t have time to get through the resumes of college kids. And it was true, but it was also desperately inconvenient for the both of them. As his assistant, Susan was responsible for getting literally everything done that he didn’t have time to do himself. They worked in an office full of people and yet he trusted nobody but her. The thought made her feel warm but also annoyed; if he valued her so much, he would have given her a pay raise by now, some incentive to continue on working as hard as she did. Still, she tried not to complain too much.

  When she was downstairs waiting for his order at the coffee shop, her jaw nearly dropped when she saw three men walk in, dressed expensively in top of the line suits, walking straight and tall as only the very wealthy can. They must be the company, the men who had demanded the meeting moved to today instead of next week. She panicked when they got on the elevator and disappeared, her hands shaking anxiously as she waited for Tyson’s coffee to be finished. She grabbed it quickly when the barista put it on the counter and hurried to the elevator, pushing the button over and over until it finally opened. She pushed the button for the eighth floor and waited nervously until she stepped off. The men were already in the boardroom with Tyson, who was gesturing for them to take their seats. He saw her and beckoned her in, pulling out her chair for her and introducing her around the table. Her boss always had her sit in on his meetings and presentations, insisted upon having her at his side at any given moment.

  Susan had trouble not staring at each man sitting around the table. Each was as handsome as the next, all as tall as Tyson, all well-featured and chiseled. The man in the middle, Edward, with blue eyes and short pale hair, caught her looking and looked back, his eyes dancing, and winked at her. Her face went red and she immediately turned towards the presentation. Watching Tyson work was almost erotic to her every time. He was so powerful, so charismatic that she had trouble imagining anybody would be able to resist doing what he asked of them. She knew that, as his assistant, she genuinely had no choice other than to obey him, but had a feeling that she would do so anyway. His presence demanded compliance.

  She felt Edward’s eyes on her as she stared at the screen and felt herself growing hot. Occasionally she’d glance back at him and he’d hold her eye, give her a knowing, teasing smile that she had trouble reading. When the presentation was finally over, the four men spoke amongst themselves, with Susan barely paying attention to what they were saying. Everything must have worked out in Tyson’s favor, though, because as they all shook hands with him he was grinning ear to ear, practically bouncing out of his skin. After the men had left and they were back in his office, Tyson scooped Susan up in his arms and twirled her around. Never had he shown her such affection. The touch of him made her mouth go dry and she wanted to stay in his arms. Too soon, he set her down on the floor and kissed the top of her head.

  “Susie, you’re a life-saver. Really. Let me take you out tonight.”

  “Me?”

  He laughed. “Yes, you. Go home how. Get ready.”

  So she did, reeling and nervous, wondering how the night would go.

  Susan didn’t have much to wear that would be appropriate for going out alone, let alone going out escorted by one of the richest men in the country. She settled on something she thought would be suitable and slipped into her highest heels, waiting on her porch for him to pull up. When she got into his car, he looked her over, smiled and reached around her to unpin her hair so that it fell in waves around her shoulders. Then he
unfastened the top button of her blouse and nodded approvingly. Susan was holding her breath, relishing the feeling of his skin on her chest. She wondered if she was blushing, if he could tell how attracted she was to him. She thought maybe he could because he stared at her quizzically for a moment before pulling out of her driveway.

  “I suppose you’ve no idea where we should go,” he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “No, I don’t,” she said shyly, her hands clasped in her lap.

  “Do you ever get out?”

  She looked at him coyly, smiling. “My boss keeps me pretty busy, wears me out.”

  “Oh, I haven’t even begun to wear you out.”

  That stilled her tongue. If he meant anything by it, he didn’t stop to let it sink in. He kept talking, pulling up to a bar and handing his keys to the valet to park as he guided her inside with his hand on the small of her back. He chose a table and slid across from her, staring at her face until they ordered.

  “I’ve known you for three years, now,” he said, sipping his drink. “And I know nothing about you. Tell me.”

  Susan took a drink of her wine, holding it in her mouth to savor its bold sweetness on her tongue.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “If you don’t go out, you don’t live with anyone, what do you do when you’re not at work?”

  “I sleep,” she said, shrugging. “I read.”

  “And you don’t get bored?” he asked, the tip of his finger tracing a circle around the rim of his glass. His eyes were intent on her face and he was leaning forward, every bit of his attention focused on her. She felt exposed and yet thrilled by his interest. Susan had never thought herself a particularly fascinating person, but his eyes made her feel that way, and so she took another drink.

  “I get bored, but I’m shy, and I’m not sure how to do anything else.”

  “Shy,” he said. “I see that. You’re shy with me and I see you every day.”

  She didn’t say anything, only swished the dregs of her wine in the bottom of her glass until Tyson waved a server over and had him bring the bottle.

  “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

  “Not necessarily,” she told him slowly. The wine was already getting to her, making her head light and bubbly. She never drank, not even on special occasions, but he was so convincing and she was enjoying herself immensely.

  “Not necessarily?”

  “You do make me feel particularly shy,” she said, speaking without thinking. His eyes sparkled in the light and he gave her a half smile, raising his eyebrows.

  “Why is that, Susie?”

  “You’re so handsome.” She reached forward to stroke the back of his fingers. Even as she did it, she knew she would regret it, but the wine made her bold and his eyes made her hot and it was a terribly seductive combination. “And charming and powerful. I don’t know how to act around you.”

  He took her hand and held it between his, his eyes grazing over her face, lingering on the spot he had revealed when he’d unbuttoned her shirt.

  “You shouldn’t have told me that,” he said. She blushed then, looking away from him.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, no,” he said, his eyes lighting upon hers once more, burning her with their intensity. “But now that I know my attention might be well-received, I’m not sure I’ll be able to help myself.”

  “Help yourself?”

  He brought her hand to his lips and brushed the knuckles lightly across them.

  “I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to see you let your hair down,” he said, reaching forward and fingering a strand of it. “And wondered if you’d let me.”

  Susan pulled it to one side, draping it over her shoulder. His eyes were bright with drink, studying her face, and his hand was frozen in the air as if he wanted to touch her. She felt shy again, very shy, and when she looked down at her hands he did touch her, tilting her face to look at him.

  “Tonight, you’re going to relax,” he said, grinning. “And have another drink. I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

  So she talked, relaxing with every sip of wine every time he laughed or smiled at her. She told him where she’d grown up and what her favorite books were. When the topic came up about past relationships, she blushed a deep red and shook her head.

  “I’ve never…” she said, “that is, I’ve never met anybody I wanted to.”

  “Never?”

  “No.”

  “Mm,” he said, steepling his hands beneath his chin. “Would you like to?”

  She looked at him for a moment before nodding. He wasted no time in paying the bill, then led Susan out to the car and opened the door for her. When they were at her house, she let him in, shut the door behind him and sat perched on the edge of her couch. Her head was swimming with tipsy lust, her body feeling somehow swollen and light at the same time. Tyson knelt down in front of her and wrapped a lock of hair around his finger before bringing his face close and brushing his lips over hers. The feeling was electric. It made her body sing, made her wrap her arms around his neck to hold him close. Her mouth responded to his intuitively when he kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip, then the top, then slipping his tongue into her mouth to tease and toy with her own.

  “Bedroom?” he asked huskily when he’d moved his lips to her throat. All she could do was point and he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist, and carried her into the small room. He laid her on the bed and began to undress her, unbuttoning her shirt with slow, sure fingers and unclasping her bra in the front to free her breasts. Susan gasped when he touched her there, when he leaned down to pull each nipple between his lips and suck them until they were hard and aching. While he did this, his hands worked to unfasten her skirt and pull it down around her ankles and off until she lay in front of him in only her plain white cotton panties. His palm traced a line down her stomach and stopped at her panty line so abruptly she moaned.

  Tyson lowered his face to kiss her then, climbing on top of her. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. She wanted to feel every part of him. While she unbuttoned his shirt, he pulled her thighs apart and traced his fingertips up and down, teasing her so that she was pushing her hips up to grind against his.

  The skin of his chest was warm and smooth and felt so decadent against her, felt better than anything she’d ever really experienced. He tasted good, too, like cinnamon gum and amber liquor, and she couldn’t get enough of his tongue.

  When he took her panties off, she caught his eye, her body feverish.

  “What is it?” he asked, looking over her face.

  “Is it going to hurt?”

  He groaned then, burying his face in her neck.

  “Susie, I can’t do this right now,” he said, crawling off of her, standing up and looking down over her body.

  “Why not?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. “What’s wrong?”

  “I will hurt you if we do this right now. I’m not used to being gentle.”

  “I don’t care,” she breathed, lifting her head to capture his lips between her own. “Please.”

  He took her wrists and laid her down, kissing her once more, then groaned as he set to dressing himself.

  “I want you sober,” he told her. “And unafraid. I want to see that you’re completely comfortable with me before we do this.”

  She nodded. She supposed she understood. How would he feel if she showed up to work tomorrow shy and regretful, with her hair tied up tight and her proper shoes as if nothing had happened? She would prove to him that she was ready.

  “Good night, Susie,” he said, kissing her forehead, then her lips. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  ***

  Susan felt different the next morning. She had slept naked and the cotton sheets felt good against her bare skin. She took a moment to feel her body with her hands, touching between her legs, her breasts, tracing her own lips with her fingertips. When she got out
of bed, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself in full. It was something she rarely did, something she avoided. Her body had not been something she associated with particularly good sensation. But the night before, despite the fact that he had barely touched her, had made her skin feel alive with possibility.

  She went to work looking much as she had when they’d gone out the night before. Her long hair flowed down her back and her shirt was unbuttoned enough to show an expanse of bare skin. When he saw her, his eyebrows lifted and he looked her over for a long moment.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling. She shut the door behind her and went to him, bold as anything, wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her face to kiss him. He responded in full, backing her up against the desk so that she was sitting on top of it, his mouth working hungrily at hers while she ran her hands up and down his chest.