My heart rate accelerates and a smile spreads on my lips because I didn’t leave him a single thing to complain about.
Perhaps I’m making it up, but I can feel his eyes move down my body, taking in my attire. I blossom in appreciation, my skin blushing a soft pink under his gaze. I don’t know what it is about this man, but he affects me in a way no man ever has before.
In a moment of boldness, I uncross my legs so I can cross them the other way and I, maybe, perhaps, flash just the tiniest bit of my stocking to him.
Maybe he sees it, maybe he doesn’t, but knowing the chance is there makes my girl boss insides very excited.
***
As soon as the final guest exits the meeting, I watch Nathanial stand from his seat at the head of the table and straighten his tie.
We are alone now. Normally, I would have stood and left with everyone else, but something has me frozen in my seat as if I cannot leave until he dismisses me.
He places his hands on the tabletop and levels a stare at me.
I swallow the knot in my throat then sit up straight.
“If that will be all, I should get back to work,” I tell him.
“No.” That’s all he says. One simple word.
“No?” I question.
“You’re going to stand and meet me in my office. Now.”
He doesn’t say anything else to me; he just buttons his suit coat and breezes out the door.
What the fuck?
I stand slowly, smooth out my skirt, and take each step down the hall toward him with purpose.
I pause outside the door and prepare myself for whatever awaits me on the other side.
Is he going to fire me because I spoke out during the meeting? Well, if he tries, I’ll say everything I’ve ever wanted to say to him. Mark my words.
I don’t knock before I enter; I just push open the heavy door and step over the threshold.
I close the door behind me when I step into his office, and his scent instantly overtakes me. No matter what I’m doing, no matter how angry or annoyed I am at him, that smell makes me weak in the knees.
He’s standing behind his desk, removing his jacket; not saying a word.
“How can I help you? Is something wrong?” I ask.
“Oh, Piper. There is so much wrong.” He scrubs his hand over his face. “But first, I’d like you to explain this.”
He takes his phone out and places it on the desk, facing me.
My eyebrows scrunch in confusion before I step closer to look at the screen.
It’s a text conversation, obviously, so I lean down to get a better view so I can read it more clearly.
With each word heat rises across my chest, and I know I am turning beet red.
“Nathanial is lucky I want to sit on his face until I can’t remember my own name. That at least makes up for the fact that he’s a complete… fucking… asshole.”
He says each word slowly, and hearing my own words from his lips, words that weren’t meant for him to see, both terrifies me and makes moisture pool between my thighs.
“That… that wasn’t… you weren’t supposed to see that.” It’s all I can say. I have no explanation or excuse. “It wasn’t meant for you to see.”
“Clearly.” He reaches up and loosens his tie. “But is it true?”
My breath hitches in my throat. “Wh-what?”
“Is it true? Do you want to sit on my face?” He doesn’t move from his spot behind the desk. He just leans over, placing both palms on the smooth, dark wood, waiting for me to respond.
I am not sure what comes over me, but seeing that he hasn’t shouted at me, thrown me out, or fired me, the desire to play along roars in my veins.
“Do you want it to be?” I ask, leaning against his office door. He doesn’t respond, not with words, but I can see his muscles tighten and his fingertips twitch against the wood of his desk. “But that would be highly unethical and against the rules, wouldn’t it?”
“Don’t fool yourself, Piper. You’ve never played by the rules.”
“I’m too much of a rebel for that.”
“Who were you sending this message to?” He rights his position and takes one step around the desk.
I don’t want to sell Kate out. The last thing I want to do to is put her in the crosshairs for any reason at all.
“My… mom,” I lie, and I have to admit, it’s not very convincing.
He tilts his head to the side. “You were going to tell your mother how you want me to bury my face between your thighs until you came so hard you didn’t remember your name?”
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
“I um… I don’t think that’s exactly what I said.”
I’m plastered to the heavy, wooden door. My skin is prickling with awareness, and the space between my thighs clenches when he takes another step toward me, closing the gap between us even more.
“I read between the lines enough to infer that’s exactly what you want, Ms. Kingston.”
His hands are in the pockets of his slacks, and his sleeves are rolled up, showcasing the glorious expanse of his forearms that are corded with muscle.
He’s so fucking beautiful.
“Am I in trouble because of it?” I ask. “Because if you’re going to fire me, just get it over with.” I swallow the knot in my throat.
“I should fire you.” He steps closer. “I should because it’s incredibly inappropriate and offensive that you called me a fucking asshole… even though I am.”
He removes his hands from his pockets so slowly I think I’m hallucinating in slow motion. The light peeking through the window shines off the Rolex adorning his wrist and he places his palms on the wooden door on either side of my head, effectively trapping me in.
His scent overwhelms me and swirls around my body as he leans in closer, so close that if I really wanted to, I could barely move and slide my tongue along the stubble on his jaw.
“I should fire you…” he continues. “But goddamn if I don’t want to.”
I think I’m hallucinating his words, because surely I’m making it up.
“Say it again,” I whisper, because I need to know if he really just said he wanted me.
He leans in closer. His entire body is covering me, and his nose is ghosting over mine.
“You strut your shit around this office, pushing back when I pull, being an insubordinate little brat, and you can possibly question the fact I want you? Look at you in your tight-ass skirt and sky-high, fuck-me heels. You know what you’re doing to me, don’t you? How couldn’t you?” He slides his hand around to the back of my neck and grips me there. Not to the point of pain but enough to show me he is controlling this situation. “I am driven crazy with wanting you, Piper.”
“I don’t do anything on purpose, Nathanial. Contrary to what you think, the entire world doesn’t revolve around you, in fact, when I pick my clothes every morning, you’re the last person on my mind.” I lick my lips and stifle a moan when he leans in closer.
My chest is heaving as pure, hormonal, animalistic instincts take over. My brain, the logical side that should be telling me to run far, far away because this is my boss; my asshole of a boss, who I’ve seen bring interns to tears without a hint of remorse. I should slap him across the face for touching me and for hitting on me, but for some reason, all I can focus on is my nipples hardening under my bra. The warmth between my thighs spreading outward and growing to encase my entire body.