“Nice to meet you too, Mike.” She says with a smile.
“What’ll you have?” He asks Hope, who glances at me for a split second.
“He knows what I’m having.” I say. “What’s your poison?”
“How about a vodka soda?” She says.
“My kind of gal.” Mike says and fixes her drink before pouring me a double finger of scotch. The two of us raise our glasses, and when she meets my eyes I’m a goner.
“What are we cheers-ing to?” She says.
“How about this game you’ve created that, no doubt, you’re going to blow my mind with?” I say. Her long lashes flicker. The vulnerability in her expression makes me want to scoop her up and tell her how beautiful, smart, and special she is. But instead, I just clink my glass against hers. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
It only takes two more rounds before we’re laughing like old friends. Hope’s sense of humor is like the cherry on the sundae. She moves like a goddess, every gesture graceful and deliberate. My entire body pulsates with desire and I want nothing more than to pull her close to me and tell her that I’ll take care of her for the rest of her life. That she doesn’t have to be my assistant, that she can be my…
My what? My girlfriend?
I shake off the sudden thought. I just met this woman. Maybe it’s time to tap the brakes a little. If only someone would get that memo to my cock. It responds to her like Pavlov’s dog and she’s the bell. In need of satiation, Hope Nichols makes me hungrier than I’ve ever been for anything in my life.
“…And then I finished college and immediately poured myself into this project.” She says, shaking her head and sipping the last bits of her vodka soda. “And here I am.”
My eyes grow a little fuzzy, partly from the booze and partly from Hope’s presence. “Here you are.”
A long, awkward silence passes between us. Is she feeling this too? There’s no way she can be immune to this chemistry between us. Her breasts rise and fall with each deep breath that she takes. Her ass, perched on the edge of the barstool has incrementally made its way closer to me.
I’m a man who prides himself on control. On order. But right now, all of those thoughts are streaming out the window.
My hand cups the side of her face. Her soft skin melts into my palm. I lean forward and press my lips against hers. She parts them for me and I gently lick her inner lips, tasting her sweet mouth. Slowly at first, then with a little more passion. Our tongues dance as I pull her as close to me as I can. We’re kissing with a ferocity that I haven’t experienced in a long time.
My cock nearly explodes in my pants. I want this woman. This kiss solidifies it. I bite her lower lip, realizing that she belongs to me. That nothing’s ever felt so right as this moment. That I’ve finally found the woman that can jeopardize everything I’ve worked for.
And I’ll be damned if I’m not willing to take that risk. Hope Nichols is worth it, and she’s mine. All mine.
5
Hope
I’m lost in Rex’s kisses. They’re so much better than I imagined, which makes it twice as hard when I finally have to pull away. My head retracts and I adjust myself back onto the barstool. “I’m sorry.” I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“For what? I’m the one who kissed you.”
“I know.” I say, running a hand through my hair. “And you’re my boss.” I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “And this is not how I saw the night going.” I roll my eyes. This predicament is not exactly ideal. “So.” I say, extending my hand. “I think I’d better go.”
Rex’s face falls. Confusion lines his face. Clearly, this is not how he saw the night going either. He takes my hand and I give it a solid shake. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mister Jamison.”
“Rex.” He calls over his shoulders as I high tail it toward the door.
“Rex.” I repeat, and step out onto the street. The temperature’s cooled down a bit and thank God for it. I gulp long breaths of New York City night air. My feet high tail it to the subway. About every hundred steps or so, I slap the base of my palm against my forehead.
Idiot!
I finally get the opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I let my boss—who probably sleeps with all of his assistants—come onto me after a few drinks. Talk about a walking cliché. He probably doesn’t even give a shit about my game. That was probably just an excuse to get me home and fuck me. Which doesn’t sound so bad, in fact I want him to fuck me, so that makes it even worse! Maybe he has a thing for big girls? Or he just wants to add one to his collection. I can’t for the life of me think why he chose me to seduce for fun instead of one of the hundreds of beautiful women lining the nooks and crannies of this city. The train’s already zooming into the station by the time I swipe my Metrocard. My feet work overtime as I run down the stairs to catch it. I slide into the wide open double doors of the train mere seconds before they close. At least that’s one thing that’s working for me tonight. My train karma’s on point. I roll my eyes at the thought. “Lucky me.” I say out loud to a train full of commuters. And just like that, a guy gets up right next to me, and I have the ability to snag his seat.
It’s like the universe wants me to get the hell away from here. At least fate and I agree on something. My body shakes as the train makes its way down the dark underground tunnel. My lips are still swollen from Rex’s kisses. I can’t help but reach up and stroke them. Are they red? Does everyone on the train know that I just made out with my brand new boss in a seedy bar? And worse, does everyone know how badly I wanted him to take me back to his place and ravage me like I know only he could.
How many women have felt like this with him after work? Probably more than I can count. People cry on the train all of the time. You see it every day, but I will not be one of them. I take a deep breath and will myself to woman up. It takes nearly forty minutes to get home, but I know exactly what to do when I get there. As soon as I’m in the door, my butt’s in that computer chair. I boot up the system and work until three o’clock in the morning on my game. I will not leave this company without at least showing Rex that I am more than some sweet pussy that he can take advantage of. I am a damn good programmer and my ideas are worth money.
He may have bullshitted me to get me to that bar. We can go to your place… But, I know my worth and I am showing him this game tomorrow before I ask to be reassigned to another department.
The alarm on my watch rings at six forty-five. “Shit!” I say, trying to focus my bleary eyes. Nothing good has ever come on three hours of sleep, but screw it. I know what I have to do.
My train karma’s not so good today—in fact I miss the first train, and the second one goes out of service due to a sick passenger—which makes me exactly twenty minutes late on my second day. I rush up the elevator, to the tenth floor and find Rex standing at my desk as soon as I enter the room.I open my mouth to apologize, but I don’t have the chance. “I thought maybe you weren’t coming in.”