Savanna
I don’t own much, so packing doesn’t take long at all. Everything I’m not attached to, I just toss out. I left most of my things at my parents’ house because I was afraid of anything important getting stolen by roommates who always remained strangers to me.
I finish packing in record time because I don’t want to stay in this small town any longer. Not when Lonnie already gave me the keys to my new place in the city. He said the papers were already signed and it was ready be moved into, so I don’t see why getting there a day early will be a problem.
Lonnie offered to send a car for me, but I don’t want to put him out more than I already have. He’s done so much for me already. I call an Uber instead. My parents gave me an Uber card for graduation, and it will no doubt cost a couple hundred dollars to make it to the city, but with the money I’ll be making from working with Lonnie, I’ll be able to pay they them back if they say anything about it.
My new apartment has the most amazing view of the city. The people below me look like little ants crawling around. There’s no way this place is in my budget. I told Lonnie as much when he chose it for me, but he insists that I can afford it now. It’s close to the train station and shopping, and everything is within walking distance, including the law firm’s office. He says the rent is manageable, yet he won’t tell me how much it is. He says he’ll take care of the rent and utilities and not to worry about it. I know he would never leave me stranded without money, so I trust him.
The apartment comes fully furnished. I’m not talking some cheap Ikea furniture. It’s all very luxurious and expensive. This looks like a place where a proper lawyer would live, one who’s already established. Not someone who will probably be fetching coffee and licking stamps for the next year.
I plop down on the plush leather couch and smile at my surroundings. I giggle, wishing my friends and family could see this. But I haven’t told anyone about my new job yet. I’m afraid it will get back to my parents. As far as they know, I’m still back in the suburbs in my cramped apartment with my three lazy roommates, still working at the coffee shop for pennies. I don’t know when I’ll tell them the truth. Maybe when this all starts to feel real. Right now, it’s just a dream. Maybe I’ll get to Lonnie’s law firm and completely fail. Maybe the pressure will be too much for me and I won’t be good at being a lawyer at all.
I close my eyes and try to think only positive thoughts. The soft suede couch under me is like a teddy bear hug. I can get used to this. I’m not going to let the fear of change sabotage a once in a lifetime opportunity like this.
I decide to take a bath. The tub is a replica of an old claw-foot tub, but with jets. The master bedroom is larger than my old apartment. I grab my toiletry bag, unloading my body wash, lotion, and soothing bath bombs. I drop one of the lemon grass scented bombs into the running water and watch as it starts to foam. The room is filled with a glorious lemon scent.
I skip the straps of my sundress over my shoulders and let it pool around my feet. Then I take off my bra and panties before sliding into the tub. The curves of the porcelain hug my body just right and the jets kneed at my sore muscles.
Closing my eyes, I start to think about Lonnie and those impossibly broad shoulders and blue eyes that sparkle like sea glass. All those old fantasies surface again. I picture his big hands all over my body, caressing, slipping between my legs.
I slide down the tub, spread my legs and let the running water cascade over my sensitive clit and I revel in the sensation. I touch my breasts, slide my fingers across my hard nipples. Little shocks of electricity jolt through me. My moans fill the small room as I bring myself closer to orgasm. I picture Lonnie, slowly fingering me and sucking my nipples. It’s not long before my orgasm takes hold. My back arches and I slip deeper into the water until my head is submerged. Under the water, the world outside disappears, and the only thing I’m aware of is the exhilarating sensations rushing through my body. I stay under until I can’t hold my breath anymore, then emerge from the water with a deep breath.
My body is languid, weightless, and yet I’m anchored to the tub. When last sparks of my orgasm pass, I hear someone clear their throat and I flail my arms, startled, splashing water all over the bathroom floor. Lonnie is standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face.
Oh. My. God.
“How long have you been standing there?” I ask, trying to cover myself as much as possible, but the towel isn’t within reach, so I have to settle with only covering my breasts. Unfortunately, my breasts are too large to really conceal much.
Lonnie takes a step forward and hands me a towel. He holds it just out of reach so that I have to stretch to get it. I’m sure he gets a good look at my breast when I quickly reach out my hand to grab the towel. His smile grows.
“I came to make sure you had everything you need before you were supposed to arrive tomorrow. You’re a day early.”
I drain the water from the tub, wrap the towel around me and stand up.
“Sorry, I thought because you gave me the key I could come early. I was excited to move in.”
His eyes scan my body. “No trust me, I’m happy you came a day early.”
My face gets hot and I bite back a smile. If only he knew what I was thinking when he walked in.
“Do you need anything?” he asks.
“No, I think I have everything I need.”
“Well then, I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
His eyes scrape over the length of my body once more, and the approval in his gaze makes me blush deeper. When he leaves, I giggle and sigh. There’s no way I’m going to sleep tonight not knowing just how much of the show he saw. I’m embarrassed, but part of me hopes he saw the whole thing.
* * *
The next day, I’m up bright and early for my first day of work. I’m beyond excited—and a little nervous to see Lonnie again after what he saw me doing last night.
Like the first day of school as a kid, I picked out the perfect outfit before I went to bed last night. Professional, but it still flatters my figure. I don’t want to use this job as an excuse to get closer to Lonnie, but I do want him to notice me. Seeing him at the coffee shop brought back all those old feelings—though I guess they never really went away. They were just lying dormant, waiting for the time I would see him again. Now they’re back at full force. Being around him all day every day will be a challenge and possibly a distraction. It’s a good thing I’m excellent at multi-tasking.
After I put on my makeup, I put on a sexy tight slip to accentuate my curves. Then I dress in a black pencil skirt and button down blouse. I leave two buttons at the top undone. Not enough to show cleavage, but enough to make Lonnie take a second look if I bend over in front of him. I skip the pantyhose. My legs are freshly waxed and tanned, so there’s no need. Then I find my black heels. They might be a little tall for the office, but they do wonders for the shape of my legs and ass. When I look in the mirror and I’m pleased with what I see, it’s time to figure out what to do with my hair. I have long, blond, naturally wavy hair. It’s always been my best feature. Men love to run their hands through it. But I feel like wearing it up might be best for the job. It’ll make the heels seem less daring.
I pull it up into a twist and give myself a final once over in the mirror. My eyes are wide and my jaw is set. I look terrified. I realize I’m more nervous about seeing Lonnie than I am about the job. Rightfully so, I guess. The job should be easy enough. I graduated from law school with honors, so I’m fairly certain working at a law firm will suit me.
But I’ve never been in a successful relationship. The ones I’ve been in were short-lived and toxic to say the least.
Stop it Savanna, I scold myself. This job isn’t about trying to be with Lonnie. I have to keep telling myself that. Even though I know there’s chemistry between us, he’s my dad’s former best friend and there could never be anything between us. And now he’s my boss, so there is definitely not going to be a
nything between us.
… unless it’s just a small office affair.
Stop!
I take a deep breath and shake off the nerves. No more thinking about him. I need to focus on this job.
“You’ve got this,” I say to my reflection. I grab my briefcase and my purse and walk out the door.
* * *
I’ve never taken a train before. It’s like going on an adventure. Everyone else is used to it. People in the city are pushy and rude, but I don’t mind. I’m just excited to be here. There is only standing room, so I hold on to a poll and try to stay upright in my heels as the train lurches and people jostle around me. It smells like a public toilet. I’m starting to wonder why so many people love living in the city.
I get off at my stop and walk the two blocks to the firm. It’s in a massive office building, with a glass façade and shining metal. Not quite a skyscraper, but it dwarves the other buildings around it.
I go inside, show my ID to the security guard, and head for the elevators. On the elevator doors is a maintenance sign that says Out of Order with caution tape blocking it off.
“Are you kidding me?” I mumble.
I’m sure there are other elevators somewhere, but I don’t know where, and I don’t want to be late for my first day.
Looks like it’s the stairs for me. I regret these heels so much right now. It’s a good thing Lonnie’s office is on the tenth floor and not all the way up on the twentieth.
I take off my heels and balance them on my briefcase, and head for the stairs. By the time I’m on the fourth floor, I’m out of breath. If I don’t hurry, I’m going to be late. I take two steps at a time even though it kills my calves and I’m afraid I’m going to sweat my makeup off.
I’m just rounding the corner of the fifth floor when I run smack into Lonnie’s broad, unmovable chest. My things clamor to the floor and I lose my footing, yelping when I start to fall backwards.
Lonnie catches me before I can fall. I hold onto him like my life depends on it. I’m laughing with relief, my chest pressed against his, heart hammering.
When I’ve finally calmed down, I look up at him. He’s still holding onto me. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, I can feel the tension between us. Electricity flows through us, our arms powerlines connecting each other, fingers buzzing. The hair on my arms stand on end and I’m covered in goosebumps.
I try to slow my breathing. I’m not sure now if I’m out of breath because running up five flights of stairs, or because of Lonnie’s embrace.
“You all right?” he asks. Those sparkling eyes search my face.
“I think so. Are you?”
His playful smile makes me light-headed. “I am now,” he says.
I shift my balance, trying not to let my smile get out of hand. He’s all disheveled from the impact, so I reach up and fix his tie. His body tenses and I wonder if I’ve stepped over some line that I shouldn’t have.
“Are you on your way out?” I ask.
“I was just coming downstairs to make sure you got to the office okay with the elevator being out of order.” He points at the stairs. “Shall we?”
He picks up all of my stuff and we head up the stairs toward his office.
“It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you,” I tell him. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“As I recall, I just saw you last night.” His cocky grin sets my cheeks on fire.
“You know what I mean.”
He frowns and I get the feeling he doesn’t want to talk about the past. “We have all the time in the world to catch up now that you’re working and living in the city.”
He expertly changes the subject and starts talking about the firm and how it’s been up and running for the last four years and how successful it is.
“I’m so happy for you,” I say. “I remember, when I was younger, you talked about one day opening up your own firm. I’m glad it’s worked out for you.”
He lets out a long breath. It sounds like a sigh, but it might just be him losing his breath. These are some serious stairs, and even someone as fit as he looks, he could be winded from them.
“The only issue is this thing with the new partner, but it will all work out, I’m sure of it.”
Again, he doesn’t seem to want to get into it. I have a feeling there’s a lot he’s holding back, but I don’t want to push it on my first day of work.
When we finally make it to the office, my muscles are screaming. If that elevator isn’t fixed soon, I’m not sure how long I’m going to last. I really need to get to the gym and get back into shape. Who knew working in law would require so much cardio?
Lonnie introduces me to Mick, the paralegal. Mick has a kind, yet confident smile. I’m guessing he’s in his mid-twenties, but the premature balding makes it hard to tell for sure. His open face, firm handshake, and polite demeanor make me think I’m going to like working with him. That’s good. One of my fears was not liking the people I’m stuck with day in and day out. That was a big problem I had while working at the coffee shop. There was such a high turn-over rate—with it being a minimum wage job and all—so you had to get used to different, and not always pleasant personalities all the time.
Lonnie shows me to my office next. I have to do a double take when I see that my name is already sand blasted into the frosted glass door. When he opens the door, I nearly stumble backward. The office is huge! Nothing like the dark little closet-sized room I was expecting. The massive oak desk looks expensive, and it is already adorned with all the office supplies I will need. There’s also a beautiful purple and white speckled orchid in a decorative pot on the corner of the desk, making it all look so elegant. There is a leather couch, high-backed chairs, everything I would need to meet with clients comfortably.
And then there’s the view …
The far wall is nothing but glass, and you can look out at the city and see the ocean beyond it. It’s even better than the view from the new apartment.
“What do you think?” Lonnie asks.
I’m speechless when I turn to look at him. All I can do is smile from ear-to-ear.
He laughs. “Good. I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it,” I say quickly. Like doesn’t even come close.
“I’ll let you settle in and get used to the space. I have a few calls to make. I’ll be in to check on you soon.”
I nod and he leaves.
I flop down in the big chair behind my desk and spin around, unable to control the giggling laughter that explodes out of me. When I stop spinning, I’m dizzy. My eyes finally focus, and I stare down at the view of the city. This is it. I’ve really made it. I was worried about failing, but I won’t allow it. I’ll never get another opportunity like this and I won’t let it slip through my fingers, no matter what. Everything is going to be great.
3
Lonnie
Things are not great. I go to the wall of windows in my office and stare out into the cityscape, wishing I was just beyond it on my boat that’s docked in the marina. I let out a groan. Being around Savanna and seeing her in the tub has been a pleasant distraction, but as soon as she’s out of my sight, my mind wanders back to thoughts of the new business partner that I’m bringing into the firm and the mess I’ve made of everything. He’s not just any partner. He’s one that I desperately need. The buy-in money he’ll bring with him is the only chance to save this firm. It’s not doing as well as I lead Savanna to believe.
Yes, technically all the numbers add up, and on paper I’m quite wealthy. But every penny that I have is tied up in this firm. If my company fails, I’m done, and I’ll be left penniless. My new partner, Mr. Sapline, will bring new clients—high-profile clients—that will earn beyond the injection of partner cash. It all sounds great, right, so what’s wrong? The problem is Mr. Sapline doesn’t work with people in family law who haven’t experienced family law. He believes everyone taking on these cases should be married. Kids are optional, but a bonus. I don’t
have either of those things. Stupid me, told him I did.
Lying to him about my family situation was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I deceived the one man with the power to save my ass. But I was desperate. We’d gone out for drinks to discuss expectations. I swooned over his list of celebrity clients, people everyone has heard of. I had stars and dollar signs in my eyes. Every time I opened my mouth, a new lie came out. Partly desperation, partly the alcohol speaking. Now that I’m sober as hell, I don’t know what to do.
Mr. Sapline will be here in two days and I need to figure out how to fix this mess before he arrives.
I sit down in my chair and adjust the tie that Savanna fixed in the stairway. I can’t believe how much she’s changed since the last time I saw her before she went off to college. She’s really grown into a stunning woman. After seeing her like that, masturbating in the tub, I can hardly focus. Really, I need to be more concerned with my financial situation and Mr. Sapline, but I can’t get Savanna out of my head.
Thinking about her gets me worked up and my dick stirs in my pants. An image of her father, Stan—my former best friend since college—pops into my head, his face furious, barely contained rage, and my hard-on instantly goes away. My mood slumps. I have to resist Savanna no matter what. Savanna is the reason Stan and I are no longer friends in the first place, though I don’t think she knows that.
* * *
I manage to keep my head down and focus on work the rest of the day. Savanna is a go-getter, a real self-starter. I knew she’d be good at this. When she needs help, she goes to Mick, and, per my request, Mick reports back to me. So far, the only thing she needed help with was finding certain programs on our computer and locating the toner for the printer. Other than that, she knows all the ins and outs of the system and the legal jargon. Every time I walk past her office, I see her with her head bent down, nose buried in her notes.
By the end of the day, I have three files in my inbox from her. Skimming through them, I realize they’re impeccable. Well researched and she even leaves suggestions in track changes that I would expect from a seasoned lawyer. This girl is a godsend. How the hell could other law offices not have snatched her up right off the graduation stage? Their loss, I guess.
Married to my Dad’s Best Friend Page 2
