19. Kat
Iliked the way Jameson watched me dress, his eyes tracking me as I bent and shimmied and slipped things over my head.
It made me feel sexy in a way I’d never felt before. I wanted to stay curled up next to him in bed, but I knew he wasn’t a relationship guy, and that I shouldn’t let myself think about things like sleeping next to him in that big comfy bed.
He cared enough to demand that I didn’t see any other guys while I was here, and that was at least something. I always thought I’d like my sex a little on the rougher side, but I didn’t expect to be so gratified by being dominated. I didn’t know that submitting could help me feel in control. And I wanted to do it again and again and again.
“So, two days?” I asked as I reached for my purse. “Three at most,” he said.
“What do you want me to do while you’re gone—besides not other dudes.”
He sat up, his jaw tight. “Kat, I swear to God, if you keep talking about other dudes…”
“But I was talking about not doing them—it was a joke.” I walked over, leaned across the bed, and kissed him. “You know. Those things that make people laugh?”
He slipped his hand into my hair and cupped the back of my head. “Do I look like I’m fucking laughing?”
“Wait. What about women?”
“Holy shit, woman. You really are insatiable.”
I realized he thought I meant—“No, not me having sex with women. What I mean is…Well, if I’m yours while I’m here, you better be mine.”
Now that it was out there, my lungs squeezed, and I was scared he’d say that was too much to ask. Then I’d have to get all pissed off and stop having sex with him because double standards were not cool.
Jameson guided my lips toward his and kissed me. “Deal.” “And being in another town for a few days does not give you a loophole. Just saying.” I felt his grin against my lips. “No loopholes. For the next month, I’m a rule-following boy scout type.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Back to your original question, can you run the meeting tomorrow? I already had to push it back this week, and I don’t want everyone at the office to slack off. They work harder when they know someone will be holding them accountable. Plus, it’ll be a good chance to put your newly acquired boss skills to practice.”
The thought of running a meeting was a little intimidating. I didn’t think everyone would take me seriously if Jameson wasn’t there backing me up, but it wasn’t like I’d have him by my side forever. I was here to learn to be a bolder, better boss. “Yeah. I’ll run it and email you the notes.”
“Remember. State things, no backing down, no apologizing. You’re the boss—for a day, anyway.” He smacked my ass. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”
* * *
I THOUGHT this would be easier somehow. That since I wouldn’t have to deal with whether or not these people liked me for more than a handful of weeks that I could be bold. I’d state my opinion and I wouldn’t back down.
It was harder to break the habit than I hoped it’d be, though, especially with the substitute teacher vibe going on in the office today. Everyone was lax, their postures and moods already morphing into weekend mode, and there were several side conversations currently going on while I struggled to keep the meeting on track.
Rob had just told me that since Jameson wasn’t here, he hadn’t brought the new—and hopefully final mockups—despite the email I sent saying everyone needed to come to the meeting prepared, the one he claimed he didn’t see. And I’d almost told him it was okay and just moved on to the next department.
But I realized this was one of those moments that made me seem like a pushover, so I bit back the “Okay, then just get it to me later” response. “I find it hard to believe that you thought we’d just sit here and twiddle our thumbs during the meeting.”
Wasthattoomean?Dopeoplesaytwiddleourthumbsanymore?
Focus,Kat.Statethings.Notakingitback. “I want the final file in my inbox for approval by two, and it better be impressive.”
“That might be tricky because I have a lunch sched?—”
“In my inbox by two,” I said, my words sharp, my best deadly expression on my face. “Impress me. Or I’ll find someone else who will.”
Shit, I didn’t even have the ability to fire him, so that was way too far, but he nodded. “I’ll have it to you by two.”
“Perfect.” I looked to the next person—Accounts Manager David. “I hope you’ve come prepared.”
He nodded, a hint of fear in his eyes. I’d like to say I was above enjoying the fear, but it felt like success. Of course, his fear probably had more to do with the fact that he’d already screwed up on the Sporting Goods account and was the reason Jameson had to fly to Texas to try to fix it, but I was going to put it in the win column anyway.
The rest of the afternoon went pretty smoothly, and as the day was winding down, I dialed up Jameson to give him a recap of the meeting and everything else that’d happened.
I prepared myself for the way his rich, deep voice would travel right down my core and cause a delicious ache to settle between my thighs. I remembered the way he’d grabbed me there and told me it was his, a predatory gleam in his eye, and the ache turned pulsing need.
One day, and I was already craving my next release. How was I going to make it another one or two?
I was trying to focus on only the sexual aspect of what I missed with Jameson gone, because thinking about how easily our conversations flowed, or how he brought out my confident side would lead to visions of becoming more. And I knew he wouldn’t want that, and I was leaving, and yep, the bittersweet longing was trying to rise up and ruin everything.
Disappointment pinged through me when I got his voicemail.
Keeping to our work guidelines, I kept it professional, offering a greeting and then giving him the rundown. As I detailed the meeting and my little win during it, I relaxed into the one-way conversation, talking like Jameson was seated opposite me.
“Oh, and Rob implemented all of the changes we’ve been working on to un-revamp the ad campaign. I saw the final and think it’s good to go. I got approval from the client, and they’re sold, so you just need to sign off on it. Or just tell me I can and CC Rob, so he believes it.
“Anyway, that’s pretty much the CliffsNotes version of today. Rest assured that I can handle it, although obviously you’re missed here.” A tempting, bad idea popped into my head, and I glanced around to make sure no one was in hearing range. Then I lowered my voice and did my best phone-sex-operator impression. “Also, I miss your big, thick cock.”
My cheeks heated, but along with a hint of embarrassment at actually saying that, another kind of heat formed, excited and wild and having no desire to be tamed whatsoever.
“For every day that you’re gone, I’m going to get that much hornier, and I can’t be held responsible for what abuse your body might take because of it. You’ve been warned…”
The robotic voice told me to press one if I was satisfied with my message and number three to try again.
It’ssuperunprofessional…
Butit’salsosuperbold,andisn’tthisentirethingaboutlearningtobebold?
Okay,somaybeit’ssupposedtobemoreaboutpublicspeakerboldthanowningmysexuality…
I drummed my fingernails on the desk, debating for a couple of seconds, then I made my decision…