“You might think I didn’t enjoy since I barely said a word,” she begins, fingers clasped together on her lap. “But I’m still in awe. I learned so much from just listening. I think I can start a business now,” she teases, which has Adam grinning from ear to ear.
“I won’t allow you to do that,” Adam then says, voice light and playful. “I think I snuck a clause into your contract without you knowing. If I remember correctly, you’re bound to the company for a decade, but you shouldn’t worry, you’ll be promoted to senior assistant manager by then.”
At Adam’s last statement, Lexi finds herself erupting into a fit of laughter. He almost got her there.
“And this is me,” she then says, when the limousine stops at a somewhat low-rise and run-down apartment building. When she’s about to close the car door behind her, Adam reaches for the handle and steps out of the vehicle.
“I’ll bring you up,” he says, his eyes moving from her to the structure in front of them.
They enter the building and climb about ten flights of stairs. When they reach the fifth floor, Lexi leads the way to her apartment, which is at the far end of the hallway. She invites Adam in, but he remains standing by the doorway. His eyes roam the whole expanse of the room, which isn’t much. It’s a studio type with a kitchenette right by the door, a small table a foot away, a bathroom to the side, and a bed at a corner. It isn’t much to say the least.
“Lexi…” he starts, looking somewhat pained. “I can’t have my assistant living here. I’ll rent a place for you much closer to the office.”
She makes a move to respond and decline, but Adam catches her gesture early on. So, he looks pointedly at her and shakes his head once. She knows the best thing to do is to shut up and not say a word. When he says, “You’ll move to a new place next week,” Lexi can only nod her head and mouth out a small ‘thanks’ in response.
The turn of events, from the Awards show, to the designer gown, and now to the new apartment has Lexi confused. Is Adam this nice to everyone?
Chapter 4
“The business plan’s in a folder on top on my table.” Adam says, from the other end of the line. “Once you have it, ask the driver to drive you to Waft. Let’s have a working lunch.”
When he hangs up, Lexi walks over to Adam’s desk and reaches for the folder, when her hand accidentally swipes over the mousepad of Adam’s laptop, the screen flashes on, and Lexi can’t believe what she sees. There are thumbnails of naked people having sex, and some other pictures of women dressed in revealing nurse, teacher, or even masseuse costumes. For a second, she freezes on the spot, unsure of whether to close the porn site or just look away.
She know it’s not supposed to be a big deal since everyone watches porn these days, everyone except a handful people which includes her. Her eyes automatically scan the screen, and she can’t help but look. As her eyes skim over the thumbnails, the first thing that crosses her mind is, are penises really that huge?
With her train of thought, she starts to feel her lower region reacting to the photos. There’s a sensation she can’t describe in her pussy, and she starts to feel a little bit warmer and a little bit more wet. She feels her vaginal muscles suddenly constrict, and she takes that as her cue to look away. She can’t explain what she’s feeling, but it’s not a bad feeling at all. She actually wants more of it.
She puts the business plan in her bag, and locks Adam’s office door behind her. The chauffeur, Mark, has the car waiting for her right at the entrance of the building, and when she enters, she asks him to take her to Waft, a French café Adam favors. Throughout the ride, she can’t stop thinking about the images earlier, and she knows she’s supposed to shrug the thoughts off, but she can’t. Thinking about Adam and porn in the same train of thought has her feeling hot and heavy, and when she meets him in the café, she’s having difficulty acting nonchalant.
When she reaches for her glass of water, she almost knocks it off; when she tries to order, she ends up stuttering and taking longer than usual to give her order; when Adam talks to her about his calls and meetings for a day, she finds herself looking at her planner instead of rattling the details off her mind. Adam doesn’t miss her behavior.
“Are you alright?” he asks, watching her from over the tip of his wine glass. Wine and any other alcoholic beverage is Adam’s substitute for water. “You don’t look sick, but your mind’s far off.”
“It’s nothing,” Lexi says, shrugging off the tightness she’s feeling in her vagina.
She feels all the more worse when she looks up to meet his jade green eyes. They’re studying her face, and for a moment, she sees the way they flit over to her lips, and she finds herself licking and biting her bottom lip.
“Really?” he asks, voice more concerned than mischievous. “You can take the rest of the day off…”
Lexi shakes her head at the offer and then says, “No.” When Adam doesn’t say a word, she continues. “I’m alright. I’m sorry.”
Adam knows she’s not okay, but he lets it go for now. They spend the rest of lunch going over Adam’s schedule for the week. He’s thankful he doesn’t have any international meetings during the week since he’s been travelling to Europe and Asia at least twice a month in the past. When they finish their meals and wipe their plates clean, Adam pays for the bill and calls for Mark to pick them up.
Lexi’s surprised when Adam instructs Mark to drive them over to his apartment. He tells her he has to pick up something first before they head back to the office. When Lexi steps foot in the three-bedroom unit, she’s in awe at the expensiveness and interiors of the flat. She thought the new apartment Adam transferred her to was already the height of luxury. But his is a whole other level.
Of course, she thinks. How very fitting for a CEO.
Adam walks over to one of the rooms, the one closest to the front door, and when Lexi takes a quick peek, she sees a desk, a chair, and a bookshelf. She presumes it’s his office, and she tries not to shake her head. Adam really is a workaholic. When he closes the door, he turns to face her. She’s wary of the tight-lipped smile on his face.
“So tell me, what’s really going on with you?” he asks, unable to let go of her fidgety behavior.
“N-nothing, I swear…” she says, but when he looks at her pointedly, she then asks, “I can’t bullshit my way out of this, huh?”
He ends up laughing at her reply before he shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. He walks closer to her, and when he’s a foot away from her, he stares right into her hazel eyes. For a second, Adam thinks she’s not going to open up, but then she meets his eyes and starts to speak.
“I’m so sorry…I really didn’t mean to,” she says, voice rising a few decibels higher. There’s fear in her eyes, and warning bells start to alarm in Adam’s head. What did she do? “I accidentally touched the mouse pad of your laptop and saw your screen.”
“And…?” he asks, waiting for the climax of her story and hoping she hasn’t done something that can’t be fixed.
“Uhm, that’s it,” she says, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I really didn’t mean to.”
“What?” Adam asks incredulously. “That’s why you’ve been acting weird?” When she nods her head, he then asks, “So there are no burning buildings or dying people?”
When she cocks a confused eyebrow up at him, he sends one right back at her. They’re not seeing eye-to-eye.
“I don’t get it,” Adam then says. “I really don’t have anything to hide…”
“Uhm…well, your browser was on a porn site…”
“So?”
That takes Lexi aback since he sounds so casual and nonchalant. She still hasn’t forgotten the naked photos and dick pics from earlier. They’re forever buried in her mind, and it has her mind working on overdrive.
“Unless…” Adam then trails off when Lexi still hasn’t spoken up. “You’ve never watched porn?”
Lexi shakes her head, feeling embarrassed at h
er naivety and innocence; however, it has Adam’s interest piqued. A while ago, his face was expressionless. Now, he’s looking at her with a sexy, sly smirk. The way he looks at her has her feeling all the more wet, and she can feel her vagina reacting. It’s tightening and loosening up before it tightens once more and repeats the cycle.
“Are you a virgin then?” he then asks, and it doesn’t take her long to respond.
Lexi nods her head before she tips it down and looks at the ground. She feels unclothed having just revealed one of the most intimate bits of her life. It takes Adam a moment to respond. He asks ‘why’, and she opens her mouth carefully to explain.
“I honestly…just didn’t have the time,” she says, not meeting his eyes still. “I was always too focused with school and worked multiple jobs the moment I could…” she feels embarrassed telling him all these things. Adam’s her boss, and she’s telling him parts unrelated to her work, but he also isn’t one to take ‘no’ for an answer. “I had no time for a relationship, but no one also really pursued me and wanted to date me. I didn’t make the effort to go to parties and meet other people. And look, it’s come to bite me in the ass…figurative ass.”
He laughs at her last statement before he sobers up then asks, “What do you mean? Do you regret the ‘all work and no play’ attitude?”
She sends him a small smile. It looks quite sardonic.
“Adam…I’m twenty-two and a virgin…”she says, shaking her head. “I don’t regret working and studying hard, but I don’t know anything about relationships and sex…I’m pathetic…”
“Of course, you’re not,” Adam disagrees in a heartbeat. “Trust me, getting sex is much easier than the work you do in the office.”
It’s the only time Lexi looks at him, and when she does, there’s a questioning expression on her face. She doesn’t say or ask anything, but Adam knows what she wants to ask.
Is that a proposal?
“Trust me…” he says, the meaning in his words loaded and heavy.
“Are you…” she hesitates for a moment, not wanting to get ahead of herself. “Are you trying to say…”
He only nods his head at her before she returns the gesture. Then, he walks closer to her. At the moment, Lexi doesn’t think Adam’s her boss. She doesn’t think about the repercussions of having sex with him. She doesn’t think it’s possible for women to have an emotional connection after sharing an intimate moment. All she can think about is, finally, after twenty-two years.
When Lexi’s chest is flushed up against Adam’s, he wraps his arm around her back and searches her face for any sign of hesitation. There’s none. When she makes a move to close the distance between their lips, Adam stops her by stepping back.
“It’s your first time,” he says. “The least I can do is take you out on a date first.”
Chapter 5
Movies. Dinner. Sex. That’s what Lexi expects out of her date with Adam Sinclair. She’s seen enough romantic comedies to know movies are best for foreplay; dinner is for ramping up the sexual tension; and sex is for ending the night with a bang. When Adam brings her to a rooftop resto-bar in one of the swankiest hotels in the city and tells her he’s reserved the whole place for the night, all her expectations fly out the window. Now, she doesn’t know what to expect, and she’s quite excited.
With a hand on the small of her back, Adam leads her to the lone table topped with a white table cloth and rose petals all around. He pulls out her chair, and when Lexi sits down, he pushes it back before he goes around the table and takes a seat across her.
In perfect timing, a server appears out of nowhere and pours them glasses of wine. Then, he tells them of the menu for the night and Lexi’s mouth starts to water. She doesn’t know half of the words the waiter’s saying, but she’s excited. Just hearing shrimp, lobster, and steak has her sold.
As the minutes pass, Adam and Lexi are engrossed in conversation. He wants to know more about her life and is amazed at her discipline and drive to succeed.
“My whole family is in Texas,” she says, before she takes a bite of her appetizer – shrimp and scallop ceviche. “I know paying out-of-state tuition isn’t exactly the smartest move, but I felt the need to leave my comfort zone.”
“And I think your effort has paid off,” Adam agrees. “If I must say so myself, you landed yourself an awesome job out of uni.”
Lexi can’t stop the laughter threatening to surface, and when she does, Adam can’t help but laugh along. Lexi shakes her head, amused at Adam’s humor, before she joins along and says, “Definitely. My boss is the greatest.”
“I’m sure,” Adam continues, feigning a sly look. “I think I’ll give you a raise just because of the compliment.”
The night carries on with the two of them learning more about one another’s lives. Lexi learns about Adam’s own family life. He was brought up in a privileged environment – boarding school, exotic summer vacations, and all that jazz – but his parents always taught him the value of money, and so, instead of having him work for the family business, it was Adam’s father who suggested he gain experience somewhere else. After working in the corporate world for a couple of years, Adam decided he wanted to put up his own business.
He’s now reaped the benefits of what he sowed.
“So thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to accommodate me,” Lexi teases. “I know there are a line of girls dying to be taken out by you.”
Adam smiles at her before his lips edge into a more sly and flirtatious grin.
“What can I say, I love helping people in need,” he says, and Lexi knows he’s referring to her virginity issue. “My way of giving back to the world…”
Lexi tries not to laugh. She knows that’s his sense of humor talking since there’s no hint of arrogance in his tone. In the past month she’s worked under him, she’s able to get a grasp on how Adam’s mind works. She knows when he’s being serious, flirtatious, teasing, and the like. As of now, he’s teasing with a hint of truth to his words.
“Well…” she starts, unable to match his flirtatious tone. She’s nervous as hell and doesn’t want to disappoint Adam, but she feels disappointment’s the inevitable. She has zero experience on what they’re about to do. “Thank you…”
“Are you definitely sure…?” Adam then asks, meeting her eyes. “You can still turn back…”
“No,” she shakes her head, and then waits for his next move.
When Adam stands up and walks over to her, Lexi’s expecting him to kiss her right away. He takes her by surprise when he reaches out for her hand and leads her over to the bar counter. It’s only them on the rooftop, and no one else. The servers seemed to have disappeared behind the secret doors.
“Just follow my lead,” he says, before he holds her waist and props her up onto the bar. Her legs feel cold against the granite edging of the bar. “Don’t think…”
And then Adam kisses her, closing the distance between their lips. His arm winds around her back while his free hand cups the edge of her face. She sits frozen for a couple of seconds before her hands close around his nape. As she kisses him back, her fingers start playing with black hair strands at his nape.
When Adam’s lips leave her mouth and trail kisses all around the skin of her neck, Lexi tries not to moan and gasp so loudly. She can’t explain the pleasure she’s feeling, but the nipping and biting Adam’s doing to her neck has her on overdrive. She’s actually excited to see the hickeys or two the morning after.
“Adam…” she breathes, still trying to suppress her moan. “So…good…”
His fingers are at the hem of her dress, and when he pulls the material up and over her head, she automatically covers her body with her arms. She’s embarrassed and feels completely naked even if she still has her bra and underwear on – matching in black.
“Don’t worry…” Adam says, sending a smile her way, as he holds her arms and puts them at her side. His eyes skim over the expanse of her body, and he’s
quite confused why Lexi’s feeling shameful. Her breasts are full and perky, and she doesn’t even need a push-up bra. Her stomach is toned and flat, and her legs, they’re long in proportion to her petite figure.
“Aren’t you going to undress me?” Adam asks, leading her hands over to the belt loops of his jeans. She untucks his polo and opens it button by button. When his top is discarded onto the floor, she takes initiative and roams her hands all over his arms, chest, and stomach. Their lips meet once again, and Adam is more than happy to take the night slowly. He wants to relish every second of the night, and so does Lexi.
“Is this supposed to hurt?” Lexi asks, when Adam’s dick is propped right at her entrance. She feels stupid that he had to put the condom on himself.
Pursuit: A Bad Boy Romance Page 15
