by M. Malone
“Get up on the counter.” My voice is rough with lust. I can see the answering desire in her eyes. My command excites her. She hops up on the counter and crosses her legs in a sultry pose.
“Open your legs. Show me that pretty pussy.”
Mya flushes but after a beat, she obeys. Swallowing against the surge of animal lust I feel looking down at her bare, pink pussy, I shake my head to clear it. With Mya, I want more than just the physical pleasure of release. I want to give her a level of satisfaction no man has ever given her, make her crazy. I want to leave my mark on her.
“Damn you’re beautiful.” I stroke the sensitive skin of her thighs. She shudders and tries to close her legs instinctively as I continue to tease her. Her eyes drift closed and she whimpers softly.
“I love how you touch me…” Her brown eyes are dewy as she twines her arms around my neck. My hand stays where it is, playing gently in her wetness, toying with her clit until she squirms. I wait until her eyes are frantic with wanting, until she has to acknowledge who holds her pleasure. She looks up at me, her eyes begging.
Then I enter her with a thick thrust that steals both of our breath.
I pound her hard and fast, unable to hold back the urgency I feel. I’ve had her slow and sweet and now I need her all at once, want to consume her with big, greedy bites. She obviously feels the same rush because she urges me on with her nails in my forearms and her heels at my ass. I know she’s getting close to another orgasm when she coils her legs around me, tightening like a vise.
“Milo, please!” She grips my forearms and wails, her nails leaving tiny crescent indentations in my skin. I’m too close to completion to slow my pace, too far gone to gentle the force of my thrusts even as her pussy tightens around me. She shudders violently, absorbing the force of my pounding. I hold her under the arms, clasping her to me as my own release takes over. All my joints and every muscle lock up in intense pleasure as my orgasm rips through me. When it’s over we both lay against the counter panting and spent. I look up and meet my eyes in the mirror behind Mya’s head. I look as if I’ve just run a marathon.
“Damn, girl. You’re a workout.” I pull out gently, part of me reluctant to leave her warmth. I help her up from her awkward position cramped over the counter.
Mya snorts out a laugh and runs a gentle hand through my damp hair. “I think we can both use that shower now.”
I reach in and turn on the dual showerheads, adjusting the temperature until it’s perfect. She coils her long hair up into a knot on top of her head before she follows me under the streaming water.
“This is absolute heaven.” she sighs as the water hits her back, rolling her shoulders to relieve the tension. “I’ve only seen these in magazines.”
“I went a little overboard in here, I guess. I couldn’t afford stuff like this growing up so it’s hard not to buy it now that it’s within reach.”
She opens her eyes and her gaze is like getting hit with high beams. Last night we stayed up late talking about our lives growing up and somehow segued into talking about our past relationships. After my comment about Tess, she was curious. I told her the whole story and surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult to talk about this time. There’s something about Mya that makes it easy to talk about anything.
“You’ve worked hard for everything you’ve achieved. You deserve good things.” She taps my chest lightly to emphasize her words.
“Does that include you?” I clear my throat and pick up a bar of soap as an excuse to look away.
When I turn back to her, she stands up on her toes and kisses me square on the mouth. “You think I’m a good thing?”
“I think you’re the best thing.” I hold her gaze as I say it, knowing that I’ve never spoken truer words.
Our connection is deeply sexual of course, a dead man would want her, but more than that I want her to trust me to take care of her. I want her to turn to me for all her needs, physical and emotional. I want no more secrets between us.
“I’ve never felt like this about anyone, Mya. But damn if I know what to do about it.”
Talking about feelings isn’t easy for me but I need her to know this isn’t a casual thing for me anymore. Due to my checkered past, I’m worried that she’ll continue to think that this whole thing is just about sex. It might have started as scratching a sexual itch but every moment we’ve spent together has led to this, my overwhelming need to have her in my life.
She shakes her head and laughs shyly, covering her mouth with her hand. “You are such a puzzle, Hamilton. Because after yesterday, I was sure that you didn’t feel the same way.”
“I’m sorry about yesterday.”
Her hands find their way to my cheeks and she holds my face between her palms gently. The way she’s looking at me, a man could live on that look alone.
“Yesterday is over. I’m living in the now. And what I’m feeling right now is something I’ve never felt before either.”
The next day finds me relaxing on the couch while Mya enjoys a shower alone. I’ve been banished since according to Mya, she never really gets to shower properly when I’m in there.
Something about my dick taking up too much room. Well, that’s not what she said but that’s what I heard. I’m taking it as a compliment. Or that she’s sore from too much sex.
My cell phone rings and I snatch it up when I see my mom’s name.
“Hello son. Is this a bad time?”
“No, I’m just relaxing at home.”
You can almost hear the shock through the phone. Then she says, “Hold on. Ten, your brother’s on the phone! And he’s not working for once.”
I laugh at that. “Funny. What are you two up to this morning?”
“Church. I figured your brother could use a little prayer. Please tell me you’re really relaxing in that beautiful apartment you pay so much for and this isn’t a joke.”
“Mom, I’m actually at home. Things are going well at work. I won’t have to work such long hours forever. But I’m glad you called.” I pause, surprisingly shy about what I’m about to ask. “I wanted to ask if you still have grandma’s ring.”
It’s so quiet I pull back to look at my phone to make sure we haven’t lost the connection. “Mom, you still there?”
“Yes. I was just so surprised. Milo, you haven’t even mentioned seeing anyone.”
I fiddle with a loose thread on my shorts. “Actually, do you remember my co-worker, Mya? You met her when you came up for the company holiday party last year.”
She gasps. “I knew it! I told Ten, he has a crush on that girl. Didn’t I say that, Ten?”
I can hear my brother’s irritated grumble in the background. Then I hear the sound of the bathroom door opening. Mya must be done with her shower.
“I’m not saying I’m proposing or anything. Things are still new. I was just wondering… She’s different than anyone I’ve ever been with before. And I would really like you and Ten to come visit so you can meet her properly.”
“I would love that, honey. Grandma’s ring is in the bottom of my jewelry box. I’ve been hanging on to it for the day one of you boys met your match.”
Mya sits on the couch next to me. Her hair is pulled back into a high bun and she still has droplets of water on her neck. With no makeup and wearing one of my old T-shirts, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. My grandmother’s ring would look perfect on her finger, actually. It’s exactly her style. The thought would have had me running away just a month ago but now it makes me smile.
“She’s more than a match for me, Mom. And I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Mya looks over at me in surprise when she finally figures out who I’m talking to. Her cheeks go pink with pleasure which makes me want to lean over and take a bite out of her.
“Okay, Mom. Enjoy church. Bye.”
After I hang up, Mya grabs the phone and then climbs in my lap. “You told your mother about me?”
The smile on my face feels so
natural. How long has it been since I’ve been this unbelievably happy? Never. That sounds about right.
“I did. She remembers meeting you at the party but I told her I want her and Ten to come visit so you can spend some time together.”
She suddenly won’t meet my eyes. “This is all happening so fast. I’m scared to be this happy.”
Before she can say anything else, my phone dings with an alert. A few seconds later, Mya’s phone chimes. Frowning, she pulls her phone out of her pocket.
“It’s an email from James. Mr. Lavin is going to be in town tomorrow. James scheduled a meeting.” She bites her lip.
“This is what we knew would happen. We’re ready. We’ve been ready. Now it’s time to lock it down. Nothing is going to stop us from getting this account.”
“I just thought we’d have more time.” She won’t meet my eyes. “Once Mr. Lavin picks a campaign, things will be different.”
“You mean we’ll go back to being mortal enemies then?”
She doesn’t laugh.
I tip up her chin, forcing her to look at me. The worry in her brown eyes tugs at my heartstrings. “Mya, no matter who wins the account, that has nothing to do with what’s going on between us. It won’t change anything.”
“Promise? You hate to lose.” Her voice is small, something I’m not used to from her. That’s what lets me know that this is a very real fear for her. And I don’t want her worrying about this for even one minute.
“I promise. And yes, I hate to lose. But I would hate to lose what we have here more.”
Mya nods slowly.
That’s when her words hit me. “Wait, did you just say “I hate to lose” as if you’re sure you’re going to win tomorrow? Brat.” I tickle her and she dissolves into giggles.
I like that sound much better.
20
We’ve practiced and prepared. Our presentations are as technically perfect as they’re going to get. Which means nothing if we can’t get them to play.
“Hell of a time for my laptop to crap out.” Milo yanks at his hair. He looks like he’s on the verge of rupturing a vein. Last night, we loaded both presentations on his laptop since I’d forgotten to bring mine along. Plus, all of our files are saved on the company cloud drive so neither of us thought it was a big deal. We even tested things this morning first thing. Everything was fine.
But now his laptop has the blue screen of death. And Mr. Lavin and the rest of his team are due any moment. I can actually feel my blood pressure climbing higher and higher.
“Do you need your stress cow?” Milo teases.
“No.” Yes. But there’s no way I’m squeezing that thing anywhere a client might see.
“Don’t worry honey. My dick doesn’t mind if you use him as a squeeze toy if you get nervous.”
I hate that he can make me smile in the middle of a crisis. Because I don’t want to laugh right now. Things are falling apart!
As usual, Milo can sense when I’m about to go off the rails. He rubs my arms briskly. “Let’s not panic. It’s not like our work is lost. Just go borrow Wallace’s laptop and run the presentation from his. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
My steps are careful and measured as I walk out of the conference room but I spring into a run as soon as I clear the door. I’m trying to remain calm so I don’t freak Milo out but I’m seriously hoping these technical difficulties aren’t some kind of omen.
Wallace looks up when I reach his cubicle.
“So sorry to do this to you but I need your laptop. Milo’s is dead and I forgot mine at home. The Lavin team will be here any minute.”
He immediately starts closing the windows he’s working in. “Sure thing. I’ll switch and use the desktop in that empty cubicle across from Kevin’s office.”
My shoulders sag with relief. “Thank you. I have just enough time to log in to the company server and download the presentation before they get here.”
After Wallace logs out, I log on to the company intranet with my own username and password and start downloading the presentation. It’s graphics heavy and will probably take a few minutes, so I carry the laptop in my arms as I walk back to the conference room. The door is still ajar from when I left. The sound of angry but hushed voices reach me before I get there.
“I told you in Vegas, I’m handling everything. There’s no need for you to talk to Mya.”
My mouth drops open. I recognize Milo’s voice but then my surprise turns to fury when I realize who he’s talking to.
Andre Lavin.
I wish I could say that I stormed the room and demanded to know what was going on. But instead I look around frantically and then dive into the first open door nearby. Which turns out to be a janitor’s closet. The sharp tang of chemicals assaults my nose but I hold very still as footsteps rush past. I edge the door open and watch Mr. Lavin’s back as he strides down the hallway to the reception area. Is he leaving?
Probably. Why stay for the presentations when he obviously has some sort of backend deal arranged with Milo already?
My heart is beating so hard that I press a shaky hand to my chest as if that’ll stop it from breaking in half. Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks suddenly seems different in light of what I just heard. Milo’s utter confidence that we had this thing in the bag, his insistence that we work on our campaigns together. It’s all been part of his plan to make sure that he’s the one leading this account. If he’s been communicating with Mr. Lavin directly, then he has all the info needed to be sure his campaign is exactly what the client wants.
And I’m the trusting naive idiot who fell for it.
The laptop chimes and I look down to see that our presentations are done uploading. All this work was for nothing. That’s when I decide I’m done hiding.
I burst from the closet and march across the hall and into the conference room. Milo looks up in surprise from where he’s tapping away at his laptop keyboard.
“It’s still dead. Oh good, you got Wallace’s instead. Any trouble downloading the presentations?”
He’s talking to me as if nothing is wrong. As if nothing has changed. But for me, it’s like everything has been scorched to ash.
“I did, not that it matters. I heard you talking to Mr. Lavin. So I’m not sure why we should even go through with this presentation when you’ve already told him you’re leading this account.”
Milo freezes bent over the laptop. Only his eyes move to meet mine. “What did you hear?”
“Enough to know you’re a liar and you’ve been playing me this whole time. I can’t believe I trusted you. We’ll compete for this account fair and square, Mya. I’m an idiot. But not anymore. Does James know about this?”
“James has nothing to do with this.”
I cut him off. “Good because we’re going to present and then we’re going to let him decide. I’m not sure what you promised Mr. Lavin in exchange for choosing your campaign but it doesn’t matter now. As soon as this presentation is over, we’ll see what James has to say. “
He looks behind me frantically. “It’s not what you think. You have to let me explain.”
“No time for that. Besides your words are just as fake as our relationship.”
A sharp inhale from the door has us both pausing. I turn to see Andre Lavin standing in the doorway watching us.
Shit.
“Mr. Lavin, I’m sorry–”
James rushes into the room then and the rest of the Lavin team follows him. My eyes stay on Mr. Lavin’s until there’s too much activity in the room to maintain eye contact. I’m not even sure what I was trying to say before.
I’m sorry we lied.
Please don’t tell our boss.
This entire web of lies is unraveling so fast that I’m tripping over them.
“Excellent, we’re all here. Thank you for granting us your time today, Mr. Lavin. I know that you and your team are extremely busy. But we have two fantastic campaigns prepared for you to evaluate.” Jam
es turns to me and then looks at Milo. “Are we ready?”
I look over at Mr. Lavin. His dark eyes reveal nothing. But he doesn’t appear inclined to tell James what he overheard either so I guess that means the show must go on. We’ll have to do the presentations even though there’s absolutely no chance we’re getting the job.
And I’ll have to stand next to Milo even though my heart is breaking.
As soon as the lights come back on, I walk over to the Lavin team and shake each of their hands. But the effect is probably ruined because I can’t look anyone in the eye. Andre Lavin shakes hands with James before leaving the room.
James seems startled by the abrupt departure. “Well, that was odd. Great job, guys.” And then he gathers his things and leaves.
I don’t look at Milo as I do the same.
“Mya, please wait.” He grabs my arm as I walk by.
I shake it off and keep walking. Then I go the one place he can’t follow me. The women’s restroom. I barricade myself in a stall and spend the next ten minutes fighting tears. No one is going to see me cry over this. My professional reputation is of a woman who is calm, confident and in control. Even if I’m not exactly sure how I’ll explain this all to James yet, I know that the image I want to present is the same one I’ve spent the last five years building.
Someone who is in control and not being controlled.
“Mya? Are you in there?” Anya’s voice comes from the next stall.
“Yes. I’m here.”
“Not to be nosy or anything but Milo asked me to check on you. Are you okay?”
That makes me want to cry again. Because now I know that all the little things he’s been doing aren’t just sweet, thoughtful things. It’s him keeping tabs on his competitor. How he must have laughed behind my back when he went home!
