by K B Cinder
His hardness pressed between my legs, the fabric of his briefs the only thing between us as he rubbed against my flesh. With each roll of his hips, the pressure built, coiling deep inside. A feral hunger flashed from within, focused only on the primal need to have him inside of me.
He adjusted, and soon nothing was between us, those pesky briefs thrown aside with the rest of our problems. I gasped for air, greedily gobbling up what I could between kisses as a familiar snap of a condom echoed around us. Somewhere low and deep within me clenched, sensing the long-sought gift seconds away.
He leaned up, splaying a hand across my stomach, using the other to rub his sheathed tip against my clit in circles, beginning the torture all over again.
I was helpless, forced to observe him satisfying needs I hadn't realized I had. He applied enough pressure where it mattered to reduce me to a pool of whimpers, so close yet so far from where I needed him most.
His attention was entirely on the task at hand, the occasional grunt escaping. Just watching was enough to leave me convinced I would explode again, the knot low in my stomach close to unraveling.
“Please!” I gasped, hands gripping the bedspread beneath, desperate for relief.
Just like that, he stopped his teasing and took what he wanted, entering with a hard thrust as I cried out at the size of him. It had been a while, but damn.
He froze, brows snapped together. “Are you okay?”
“Yes!” I choked out, pulling him close.
Another hoarse laugh rippled through him as he moved inward, grinding against me once embedded.
“You're huge!” I gasped.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked, freezing again.
It wasn't pain, but a definite strain that would need some soaking to sooth later on. I shook my head, wrapping my legs around his waist to prove my point.
He chuckled, beginning his rhythm, pumping in and out in slow, melodic waves. Our bodies were one, his hunger ravaging me with no amount enough for either of us. Our passion paved the way for destruction with each slow slide of skin.
With a grunt, he hauled my hips in the air, picking up the pace until he was slamming into me. I clutched the space above my head to keep from scooting across the bed, our moans and the slap of skin creating a symphony of desire.
The knot deep below began to fray again, threatening to snap a final time. My legs trembled around his waist in the first flutters of warning. He sensed it, snaking a hand between us to tease my clit, quickening his thrusts as he sought the final frontier.
Everything was too much. The subtle toying with my nub. The continuous slide and pull of his cock.
“Let it go, baby,” he murmured huskily, and I was there.
My hips bucked as I came around him, a sob escaping as I thrashed in his grasp, riding the wave wherever it would take me. “Fuck!” I choked out, trembling from head to toe.
“There you go, baby! Enjoy it!” he ordered, watching me come undone.
He slowed his pace as I recovered before flipping me over, hauling my hips up high and plunging in. I screamed, another wave of orgasm crashing down. The angle was more invasive, so wild and raw. I was so exposed, so easily accessible, and he exploited it, pumping without abandon.
“Look at me!” he ordered.
I whimpered, trying to lift my head before being forced down by another hard thrust.
“Look at me!” he repeated, louder.
I propped up on shaky elbows, daring to meet his eyes, his chest gleaming with sweat, muscles flexing with each thrust.
“Whose pussy is this?” he demanded.
I couldn't answer, breathless. He slammed forward in response, drilling with everything he had. “Fuck!” I choked out, finding my voice. “It's yours! It's fucking yours!”
“Fucking right, it's mine!” he ground out, giving one last thrust before losing control, groaning as he gave in to the pleasure.
We laid there for an eternity, gasping for air until he rolled to face me.“How are you feeling over there?” he asked, a coy grin breaking through, a reminder he was still the boyish flirt I found in Bear.
My body was still humming all over. “Amazing.”
“Not the outercourse you were expecting?” he chuckled.
“Nope.” I offered a weak grin, reaching out and stroking his cheek. “I am really disappointed in you as a boss, however.”
His face fell, and he propped up on an elbow. “Why?” he asked, brows creased.
“You don't follow any of your own rules. It's disgustingly hypocritical.”
He swallowed hard, a panicked look striking his face. “What are you talking about?”
“You crucified me for eating at my desk.”
Elena
I stayed in Jason's suite until the early morning hours after falling asleep on his chest, a few more rounds of fun wearing us out. It wasn’t a smooth move for a one-night stand, but hey, sex was exhausting. Especially with someone who rocked my body with more orgasms than I thought possible.
He drove me home, fatigue and satisfaction robbing us both of words, shared smiles and a phenomenal kiss capping off the night. Just as soon as he appeared in my life, he was gone, leaving me swollen-lipped and starry-eyed in my doorway.
And that was that.
I spent Sunday cuddling with Hank and watching Forensics, as usual, checking my phone each time it went off, only to be disappointed it wasn’t him. I didn’t want to expect something, but I did. We agreed to one night, but I was hoping for a peep. Something to let me know I hadn’t imagined all the heat between us. But he didn’t text.
I blocked it out with my usual remedy of junk food and crime shows, pangs of sadness striking as night fell. As fantastic as the sex was, I’d miss my talks with him more. He was a fixture in my routine, stirring up laughs and conversation. We grew close in our little world, and it hurt to know someone existed who I melded so well with yet couldn’t have.
But I didn’t regret a thing, and I never would. Bear allowed me to feel again. I wouldn’t hop back on Privately for a while, but I’d be thankful while I took a breather and regrouped.
Before I knew it, the alarm was blasting Monday morning, and the sun peeked through the blinds, an unfortunate reminder of the day ahead.
Guilt ate at me as I showered, knowing I'd have to craft lies to cover things up. I never lied to Lee, not even about the breakup and the debt fallout. Sometimes I was more hesitant, but the truth always came out. In this case, it couldn’t. The stakes were too high. One whiff we’d even kissed, and it was game over.
I was still sore, the walk inside a careful battle between looking natural and moving comfortably. If someone asked if I went horseback riding, I wouldn’t be able to hold the laughter at bay, and if Lee saw, I was busted. Luckily no one was around to witness the waddle, and I settled in without an audience.
One by one, staff wandered in, the Monday morning blues arriving as scheduled. There was a steady murmur of weekend chatter that served as a grounding force, tethering me down before I floated off.
I was still on cloud nine, giddy from dipping my toes in the forbidden pond. Psh. Who was I kidding? I skinny-dipped, snorkeled, and scuba dived in it. I was a regular spelunker in the underwater caves of Jason Barrett.
“Why so quiet, El?” asked Lee, glancing over in concern.
I shook my head with a deep breath, finishing up an email. “The usual. Another Monday, right?”
Apparently, I wasn't too convincing, as she narrowed her eyes. “Everything good?”
“Great.” I smiled, turning back to my screens, dodging her.
“You're lying.”
“No, really. Things are great outside of this place.”
She opened her mouth to pounce, but a booming greeting cut her off. “Good morning, ladies!” We both jumped in surprise, whirling to see Jason standing side by side with Marty.
He was smiling, his usual suit abandoned for a crisp button-down and dress slacks. His hair was tousled, a few strands
escaping its typical taming, jaw darkened with last night's shadow, a stark change from his clean-cut ways.
I wondered if his new relaxed look had anything to do with his latest form of stress relief: me. I forced the thought away and offered a weak greeting in return, attention shifting back to work as I tapped away.
I heard a throat clear and glanced up to see him staring my way, awaiting attention. “Glad you could join us, Ms. Julian.” It was a regular Jason jab, though I swore I heard the faintest hint of humor in there, confirmed by the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Sorry,” I muttered, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
“I wanted to talk to each of you today,” he announced, looking from Monica to Lee and finally me. “Privately.”
I bit down harder.
“I have a few morning calls, but I'll buzz you down. Nothing of concern. I want to chat about your role, how it may change, and any expectations either of us may have.”
I raised an eyebrow at the last bit. I thought we were clear about what happened.
“Keep kicking ass, and I'll see you shortly.”
As suddenly as he arrived, he was gone, disappearing with Marty.
“Someone got their dick touched,” Lee muttered.
I burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. It had been more than touched. I could still remember the taste of him on my lips: salty, musty, and impossibly hot. “Really, Lee?”
She grinned wickedly. “Well, yeah. He's Mr. Jerkoff 24/7, but now he's friendly.”
“Hey! A little nookie never hurt anyone!” I defended with a wink.
“Speaking of that...” she trailed, eyes narrowing. “You never let me know how the date went with the Bear guy.”
She was full of potatoes, obviously annoyed I didn’t go into detail in our texts. “I told you it was good.”
“Just good? Seriously? You were jittery about it all week, and it was just good?”
“Okay, it was great.” I smiled, deciding that was as much slack as I would give her to run with.
“Like how great?” she pushed.
“Like there's potential there.” It pained me to admit it, but I couldn’t lie about the connection between us. If I declared a loss, Lee would want too much information I didn’t have.
“Oh, yeah?”
I nodded.
She studied me carefully before standing, leaning into my cube. “You fucked him, didn't you?” she accused in a hushed whisper.
I shot daggers her way, irritated that she could read me so easily.
“REALLY?” she exploded, all eyes suddenly turning our way.
“Seriously?” I hissed, fuming at the flurry of attention.
“That's such a cool shortcut!” she exclaimed, throwing them off the trail while eating me alive with her glare.
“You're ridiculous.”
“You're keeping stuff from me, El. Not cool.” She crossed her arms, looking genuinely hurt.
It was a knife through the heart. I hated hiding anything from her.
“No, I'm not. It's new, that's all. I want to get a feel for it.”
“Oh, you got a feel for it, I'm sure.”
“Lee...” I warned. I didn't want nosy coworkers to hear about my sex life.
“Do you have a pic?” she asked. “Now, I'm dying to know what he looks like.”
“No.”
“Why?” Her eyes about bugged out of her head.
“Because that would be creepy?” I replied, arching a brow.
“But sleeping together right away isn't?” she shot back, taking a bite of her bagel, an everyday overstuffed monstrosity that never affected her slim frame.
“Not really...” I trailed, shrugging. I wasn't one for sleeping around, but I had one-night stands before. Big whoop. Sex was sex. As long as I used protection, it wasn't a biggie.
“Ugh! What does he look like?” she grumbled.
“He's tall, dark, and handsome. A babe that makes me weak in the knees.” Yeah, it sounded just as pathetic to my own ears.
“Really? I thought he would be a ghoul. You tend to bed those types.” She rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
“Anything else you want to know?”
“How was it?” she asked, licking her lips for effect.
“Great.”
“Just great?” Eternally pushy, she wasn’t letting me off easy.
I sighed. “It's the best. He eats out and tips nicely.”
“NICE!” she exclaimed, leaning over to give me a quick high five.
The slap of our hands earned a sneer from Monica, already at peak bitch state despite the early hour. I thought it took time to warm up the bitch engine, but obviously, she could go from zero to a hundred.
“Well, don't get stuck in dicksand, El,” Lee warned.
I cocked my head her way, sure I misheard her. “What?”
“When the dick's so good, you get trapped with a bum.”
I shook my head with a smile, confident I wasn’t getting trapped with anyone. It was in the rear-view mirror, and hopefully, Croft would be too once an opportunity came along.
* * *
As the morning ticked on the group was called in one by one to speak with Jason, Monica first. It didn't surprise me he wanted to get her out of the way.
She was gone for twenty minutes or so, hurrying off with a smile and fresh face of makeup only to return with a scowl.
Lee was next, gone for just under an hour, irritating the hell out of the ice queen. “I don't know what's taking her so long!” she huffed, slamming drawers and tapping her nails on her desk as she waited, desperately wanting attention, but I wasn’t giving in.
I ignored her, focusing on the tasks at hand, zooming through my to-do list.
Lee reemerged, calm as can be, not gloomy at all.
“All good?” I asked as she flopped back in her seat.
“Yeah, we went over line counts...” She glanced over at Monica. “And how we're expected to all pull our weight.”
I smiled. “About time.”
Monica slammed a drawer and snarled, “I HEARD THAT!”
“He said he's ready whenever you are.”
“Alright,” I finished an update to a customer, signing off with an extra chipper cheers before standing. “Do I need a notebook?”
“No.”
“Okay, cool.”
I strolled out of the office, savoring the chance to stretch down the long corridor. I was still a little sore, but thankfully time took the edge off. Jason's door was shut when I arrived, earning a soft knock on my end, not wanting to disturb a potential client call. I sucked in a nervous breath as I did, jitters suddenly rousing.
“Come in.”
I turned the knob and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me before facing him.
He was seated at his desk, stacks of documents and catalogs surrounding him, looking powerful, sexy, and good enough to eat.
“Good morning,” he greeted, a slow smile spreading across his lips.
“Good morning.” I made my way over, taking a seat across from him, folding my hands across my lap.
“You look nice today, Ms. Julian.”
“Thank you,” I breathed. “You look... nice as well.”
He bit his lip, the soft flesh reddening as the pearly whites raked across it. “Hesitation?” he asked. “Do I look worse for wear?”
I smirked, keeping my eyes locked on his lip.“You look considerably better than nice, as usual.”
He leaned back in his seat, smiling wider. “As usual?”
I nodded. “So, what are we talking about here?” I asked, eager to get to the point.
“A few things.”
“Like?” I pushed.
“Getting testy with me?” he replied, cocking his head. His eyes flicked over me, the predatory glaze returning in a flash.
“A little. I'm busy.” It wasn't a lie. I was drowning in work. It was one of those Mondays where I would have to cut lunch short to leave on time.<
br />
“Aren't we all, doll?”
I nodded. He was busier than me; therefore, neither of us needed to be chatty. Especially when he was looking at me like a steak.
“I wanted to let you know I'm reevaluating the systems in place. I'll review the line entry reports daily. I need to examine assignments and streamline things. Turnaround time is a problem, as is overall workload, as you know.”
“I'm not completing tasks fast enough?” I asked.
“Not you. I'm working on an improvement plan for under-performing parties.”
“Not to overstep, but isn't that Marty's job?” I asked, irritated. Since when did he have to pick up Marty's slack too? “You're already running the branch.”
“It was. Again, I'm working on an improvement plan for those who cannot perform their duties.”
I cringed. Marty and Monica were likely on the receiving end of his wrath. That explained her scowl and Marty’s new disappearing act.
“I need you to review your workload and send me a list of things that can be moved over to another desk.”
“Will do.”
“If you have any problems, bring them to me directly, and I'll handle them.”
I nodded.
“And I wanted to talk about our situation.”
I sucked in a shocked breath. “At work?”
“Well, it's not the best venue, but this is a better guise than taking you to lunch.”
“I do dinner appointments,” I reminded, grinning.
“So I've heard...” he trailed, voice husky.
“I'm also known for dessert. I'm flexible.”
“That you are,” he agreed, memories of our night clearly flashing through his mind as his eyes narrowed.
“So what would you like to talk about, hotshot?”
“I run this region, and you’re part of it. A bit of a conflict, no?”
I shrugged. I wouldn’t let on that my insides were doing cartwheels.
“I'm still in a position of authority over you. I don’t want you to think-”
I put up a hand, cutting him off. “You'd never let personal feelings impact business decisions. You're the king of rules and regulations minus the whole fucking your employee thing.”
