by Anna Stone
“I know this isn’t glamorous, but our options are limited,” Lillian said.
“It’s okay.” Emma grabbed a sandwich. “What is this place?”
“AG&W leased it to use as an extra meeting room a while back, but our plans were put on hold,” Lillian said. “Everyone has forgotten about it, so we can be alone here without having to worry about getting caught.”
“It’s definitely better than the bathroom,” Emma said.
A hint of a smile crossed Lillian’s face. “I wanted to take you out to lunch, but that would look suspicious.”
“Why?” Emma asked. “We’d just be two people who work together, out on a lunch break.”
“I don’t make a habit of getting friendly with people who work under me.”
“Am I the exception?”
“You are,” Lillian said. “This is all very unexpected.”
“It is for me too. I didn’t even know I was interested in women until now,” Emma admitted. “I feel pretty stupid for not working it out sooner.”
“It’s not stupid. You wouldn’t be the first person in their twenties to figure out that they’re not straight.”
“It’s just that it seems so obvious now, but I’ve never even thought about liking women as a possibility. I’ve always been a romantic, and my entire life I’ve had this idea in my head that I’d meet my Prince Charming and he’d sweep me off my feet. But as I got older, and it didn’t happen, I began to think that love and romance only existed in those old paperbacks my mom used to read.” What Emma didn’t say out loud was that she’d been stealing those same romance novels to read after her mom was done with them since she was twelve years old. “I grew out of the idea of a fairytale ending a long time ago. But it’s taken me this long to even consider that maybe I was looking in the wrong place all along. And now I feel like I’ve wasted so much time.”
“I wouldn’t be too worried,” Lillian said. “We’re all going through life blind. No one has it all figured out.”
“Not even you?” Emma asked.
Lillian looked out into the empty room. “Not even me. Sure, I may have my career all figured out, but I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices to get here. It’s meant that other areas in my life have been neglected.”
“Do you regret it? Choosing to put your career first?”
“No. If I could go back, I wouldn’t do anything differently. But there’s no denying I’ve paid a heavy price for success.”
“I wish I felt that sure about anything,” Emma said. “I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. I feel like up until now, I’ve been living for everyone else. I moved here to start living for me, but I don’t even know how to do that yet. And I constantly feel torn between what’s best for me and what’s best for my family. I suppose I don’t regret my past choices either, but I have no idea about the future. Sometimes I feel like I’ve missed out on my youth because of my family obligations, and other times I feel I haven’t had any life experience. But when I think about it, I’ve had far more life experience than most people my age. Looking after four kids and my mom…” Emma was rambling. And she hadn’t meant to bring up her mom. The complexity of her illness was more than Emma wanted to explain to Lillian. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
“I think I understand,” Lillian said. “You’re trying to find a life and identity that doesn’t revolve around your family.”
“Something like that.” Emma picked at her sandwich. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“You said this was unexpected for you too. Why?”
Lillian was silent for a moment. “I haven’t done anything like this in a while…Had a fling, or a lover, or a relationship.”
“Why not?” Emma asked.
“Like I said, I’m married to the job. I don’t have much of a personal life. All my time and energy are taken up by work.”
“Is that why you said you couldn’t give me what I want?” Emma asked. “Because you don’t have room in your life for a relationship?”
“It’s not that I’m ruling it out,” Lillian said. “It’s just… complicated.”
Emma put her hand on Lillian’s. The conversation had taken a more serious turn than she had intended. “Don’t worry. I meant it when I said I’m all for taking it slow. I’m not expecting anything more.”
Emma leaned over and kissed Lillian gently. It was meant to be quick and sweet. But when she pulled away, Lillian drew her back in. The kiss stretched out, growing more and more ravenous. Soon, their half-eaten lunch spread was forgotten.
Emma she threw one leg over Lillian’s lap and straddled her on her knees, overcome with need. Lillian seized Emma’s hips and drew her in close, closing the gap between them. Their hands wandered over each other’s bodies, grabbing fistfuls of fabric and caressing each other’s curves.
Emma snaked her hands down and tugged the bottom of Lillian’s blouse out of her waistband. She slipped her hands underneath Lillian’s shirt, running them up the soft skin of Lillian’s stomach, kneading Lillian’s breasts over her thin bra. Lillian sank back into the couch, murmuring with bliss.
“Are we still taking it slow?” Emma teased.
“Don’t you dare stop,” Lillian said.
Emma didn’t have to be told twice. She had wanted this since that day in the bathroom. She slid her hands back down to the waistband of Lillian’s pants and fumbled with the button. Lillian shifted underneath her impatiently.
Suddenly, the timer on Lillian’s phone started blaring.
Lillian uttered a curse and reached around Emma to silence it. “We should get back,” Lillian said, pushing Emma away.
Emma withdrew her hands but didn’t move from Lillian’s lap. “Do we really have to?”
“We do,” Lillian said. “We’ve been down here for far too long. And the last thing we need is people wondering where we are. Come on. Up.” She swatted Emma on the side of her ass.
Emma sighed and got up.
Lillian stood up and tucked her blouse back into her pants. “Wait five minutes, then come back up. And remember, we’re strictly business in the office from now on.”
14
Lillian
It quickly became apparent to Lillian that Emma wasn’t very good at keeping things “strictly business.” She had no trouble remaining professional when other people were around. But as soon as they were alone, Emma would tease and tempt Lillian until she had to do something about it.
Which was why, after returning from a lunchtime meeting, Lillian found herself in her office pinning Emma to the wall with her lips for the third time that week. Emma squirmed against Lillian, her hands wandering dangerously close to the top button of Lillian’s blouse.
Lillian drew back. “We have to get back to work.” She had learned her lesson after their near miss the first time they kissed in her office.
Emma didn’t release her grip on Lillian’s shirt. “Last time I checked, you were the boss. We don’t have to do anything if we don’t want to.” She trailed her lips down the side of Lillian’s neck.
“That’s enough.” Lillian grabbed Emma’s wrists and pinned them to the wall beside her. “What did I say to you about being disobedient?”
“I thought you only meant when we were working.”
“Then you haven’t been paying attention.”
Emma shot her a wicked smile. “Maybe you need to remind me? Teach me a lesson?”
“I should have known you weren’t as sweet and innocent as you pretend to be,” Lillian said. “I think I will teach you a lesson. Not right now. But soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Lillian released Emma’s wrists. “Back to work. Now.”
“Yes, Ms. White,” Emma said.
Ignoring the sultry look Emma gave her, Lillian walked over to her desk. “Before you go, I need you to find me those…” Lillian froze in place. Something was off.
“What
’s the matter?” Emma asked.
Lillian surveyed her desk. “Did you touch anything on my desk?”
“No. I haven’t been in here since you left for your lunch meeting.”
“Did anyone come in here while I was gone?”
“I don’t think so. But I left for ten minutes to grab something to eat. Why?”
Lillian looked around the room. “My things have been moved. On my desk, on the table there.”
“How can you tell?” Emma asked. “Everything looks the same to me.”
“I’m very particular about where I put things. They’re not where I left them. Not exactly.” It was like someone had gone through everything in her office but tried to cover their tracks. They did a good job. But Lillian wasn’t fooled. “You’re sure you didn’t see anyone come in here?”
“I’m sure. Maybe someone was searching for a file or something.”
“That must be it,” Lillian said.
Emma seemed to accept her answer. But Lillian wasn’t convinced. No one would go into her office without her express permission. And they wouldn’t have gone through everything if they were looking for a file. First Lillian’s laptop was hacked, then this? Something strange was going on.
Lillian dismissed Emma, then combed her office to see if anything was missing. The search only confirmed her fears. Although nothing had been taken, more items were out of place than she initially thought. Was someone looking for something specific? And who could it be? She could ask around, see if Bridget or anyone else had seen anything unusual. But Lillian wasn’t sure what “unusual” meant. Someone from the office, sneaking around outside their department, perhaps?
Giving up, she sat down at her desk. Maybe it was all in her imagination. And right now, she had work to do.
The day only got worse from there. In the evening, she met up with Avery and Thomas Jr. The firm’s finances were now far enough into the red that layoffs and pay cuts were no longer hypothetical. Avery agreed with Lillian that cuts to the partners’ salaries was the better option. If they started firing staff, they might as well announce to the world that they were having financial troubles. Thomas reluctantly agreed.
By the time the meeting was over, Lillian decided that she’d had enough for the day. And although Emma didn’t know it, the two of them had plans for the night. Lillian still wasn’t willing to risk seeing Emma outside the office, so she had to be creative.
Lately, Lillian had started to wonder if her refusal to meet Emma outside work really was about the risk. Perhaps it was Lillian’s way of trying to keep some semblance of control over the situation by drawing a line. It wasn’t working. Lillian was already thinking about crossing that line.
Lillian called Emma into her office. No more than ten seconds later, Emma appeared in front of her desk.
“Is everything all right, Lillian?”
The stress of the day must have shown on Lillian’s face. “It’s nothing. Just firm business.”
“Oh.” Emma seemed to hesitate.
“What is it?” Lillian asked.
“Well, I heard that the firm is having some financial difficulties.”
Lillian rubbed at her temples. “Where did you hear that?”
“Bridget told me the other weekend,” Emma admitted.
Lillian cursed. If Bridget knew, it was only a matter of time before the whole office would know. Then the news would spread quickly outside the firm to their clients and competition.
“So it’s true?” Emma asked. “About the firm?”
“Yes, we’re having some financial issues,” Lillian replied. “But we’re handling it.”
Emma rounded the desk and took Lillian’s hand. “What about you? How are you handling it?”
Lillian sighed. “I’ll admit, it’s worrying. But I didn’t get this far in my career by falling apart at the first sign of trouble. I’ll manage.”
“I know you will,” Emma said. “I’m here if you need me.”
Lillian remembered the reason she’d called Emma into her office. “I have something for you.” Lillian opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a small box, which she handed to Emma. “Take this home with you. Don’t open it until I tell you to. I’m going to call you at 10 p.m. Understood?”
Emma grinned. “Okay.”
“It’s getting late. You should head home.”
“Are you going home too?” Emma asked, her smile vanishing. “You’ve been staying late at the office a lot lately.”
“Are you going to start telling me what time to go to bed too?” Lillian asked.
“I worry about you, Lillian. You need to look after yourself better.”
“Fine. I’ll go home in half an hour. Are you happy?”
“Yes.” Emma planted a quick kiss on Lillian’s lips.
By the time Lillian was heading out the door, Emma was long gone. It was a warm, quiet night, so Lillian decided to walk home. Her apartment was only a few blocks away. As she strolled down the street, she went over the events of the day in her mind. She was still on high alert from finding that her office had been searched. There was something going on, she knew it.
Lillian wondered if she should mention it to Avery. He already knew about her laptop because Stuart had informed the other partners of the potential security issue. But if she went to Avery claiming someone had been in her office and moved everything over half an inch, he would probably think she was having a breakdown and would force her to take a leave of absence.
Besides, Avery had enough to worry about right now. Lillian could tell that he felt the weight of the firm’s problems more than any of them. Every day, it seemed like there were more cracks in his usually confident facade.
Lillian stopped at an intersection, glancing around impatiently as she waited for the crosswalk light to turn white. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man a few feet behind her, standing among the crowd waiting to cross. He was taller and larger than average, but not so much that he stood out. His head was down so that his navy-blue baseball cap obscured his face, and his jeans and dark jacket were so generic that he seemed to blend into the background. But Lillian had seen him before. She had been seeing him everywhere.
It was almost as if he was following her.
The crosswalk light lit up, but Lillian stayed rooted in the spot, letting the crowd flow around her. The man crossed the street with everyone else and disappeared around the corner.
Lillian cursed under her breath. She’d missed the light because she was jumping at shadows. Perhaps it wasn’t the same man. Or it was, and he simply lived in the same area as her. That had to be it.
But as Lillian stood there waiting for the light to turn again, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was out to get her.
15
Emma
When Emma got home that night, she had a quick dinner and then hopped in the shower. She hummed to herself as she washed her hair, wondering what was in the box Lillian had given her and what their late-night phone call would entail. This whirlwind fling of theirs left Emma feeling breathless at every turn. Lillian left her feeling breathless at every turn.
And there was something exhilarating about letting Lillian take charge of everything. Emma had spent almost ten years being the responsible girl who always put everyone else first. Now, she wanted to be selfish. She wanted to have fun, to break the rules, to give in to her wildest desires. She wanted Lillian to sweep her off her feet and not have to think about a single thing.
Emma let the warm water wash over her. She worried about Lillian sometimes. The fact that someone had been in Lillian’s office while she was at lunch seemed to get to her more than it should have. Maybe it was because of all the problems AG&W was having. Emma didn’t doubt that Lillian could handle it—she was the strongest person Emma knew. But no one was invincible.
Emma finished her shower and wandered back to her bedroom. She was still drying her hair off when her phone rang. She raced to the bed where she’d tos
sed it and picked it up.
“Emma,” Lillian said. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Nope. I just got out of the shower.” Emma grabbed the box from inside her purse and sat down on the bed. “Can I open the box now?”
“Not yet,” Lillian said. “For now, I want you to tell me what you’re wearing.”
Emma’s face started to burn. So, it was one of those phone calls. Emma had never done anything like this before. “I’m wearing a nightie,” she said.
“Describe it for me,”
“It’s blue. And, uh, it has lace on it.” Emma’s habit of wearing pretty things, even when no one could see them, was finally paying off.
“Are you wearing anything under it?”
“Just panties.” She paused. “They’re lacy too.”
“Good. Are you in your bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“Take the nightie off. Just the nightie for now.”
Emma slipped the nightie over her head. Her excitement was starting to overtake her nerves. “Done.”
“Lie down on the bed,” Lillian said. “Keep the box nearby.”
“What’s in it?” Emma asked.
“You’ll find out soon.”
Emma glanced at the box.
“You’re thinking of opening it anyway, aren’t you?” Lillian asked.
“What happens if I do?”
“Then this phone call ends. You wanted a lesson in obedience? This is it. Lie down.”
Emma lay on the bed. Sure, she liked nothing more than to test Lillian’s limits. But only because she wanted Lillian to push back. And when she did, it turned Emma into a pliant, obedient puddle of lust.
“Are you lying down yet?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to touch yourself for me,” Lillian said. “Above the waist only.”
“Okay…” Slowly, Emma ran her hands up to her chest, her fingertips brushing her nipples. But she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
“You’re thinking too much,” Lillian said, reading her mind. “Put the phone on speaker and place it down next to you. Close your eyes, and pretend I’m right there with you, whispering into your ear. Don’t think about it. Just listen. Let me do all the work.”
