Chapter Six
What was Maggie thinking agreeing to have Charlie meet her here to get the contract? It”s not like she couldn”t drop it off at the arena tomorrow. In fact, that”s exactly what she planned.
But the confidence Charlie had in the parking lot today when he told her he would pick it up -- here -- tonight...
Yes, he had smashed her cake and they did not start off on the right foot. But she had been warming up to him, or perhaps he had been warming up to her even if she hadn”t been the warmest and friendliest person when she first met him.
She had also gone home after the 5 o”clock shift ended and changed into a black dress for her meeting with Charlie. She tried to convince herself that this is how she would present herself to clients -- all business and professional. But that was ignoring the fact that her skirt was shorter than anything she would wear in a professional setting in front of a client.
Her phone beeped with a text from Noah, whom she had been talking to as they hammered out the details on the contract.
Charlie is on his way to your factory? I gave him your number
Maggie smiled and typed back. Thanks!
Short and simple. That was good, right? Although Noah seemed to be surprised by Charlie coming here. It made her think that Charlie”s visit here was something they hadn”t talked about before she met up with them at the bakery. So that would make Charlie”s request to come here tonight to be Charlie”s decision.
Again, she didn”t expect anything to happen in her family factory, but she was still wearing the short black dress with the potential for something to happen. Because really, no baker would walk around a bakery in black. It”s just a recipe for disaster.
She heard the buzzer for the outside door ring and checked the security cameras in her office. Yep, it was Charlie.
She watched as he looked down at his phone and started typing something. Then her own phone chimed with an incoming message.
Maggie? It”s Charlie. I got your number from Noah. I”m at the bakery
Maggie took a deep breath and stared at the screen wondering how she was supposed to answer that. Flirty? No, definitely not. She needed to pull herself together and be a professional business woman.
On my way down
She took a quick look at her reflection on the glass window that overlooked the factory and headed down. No one was there this late at night even though it was only eight o”clock. But she told her family that Charlie was coming over to get the contract. It would be a quick professional transaction and she could show him the facility. Impress him.
Of course, she hadn”t mentioned the little black dress. Whatever.
She got down to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it to find Charlie standing on the other side. Black dress pants with a white button-down shirt under his winter coat. It was still Chicago in the winter after all.
”Hi, thanks for coming,” she tried to say cheerfully.
”I”m glad I could come down to see you.”
She smiled and waved him in, wondering what he meant by he was glad to see her. Did he mean just her or was it some casual thing because he really wanted to see the factory?
”Hope you found it OK.”
She closed the door behind him and the lock sounded much louder than usual when it was just the two of them in the space.
Maggie watched as his eyes wandered from machine to machine. It was a packed space with a few machines dedicated to specific tasks like their famous tiramisu while others made cookies and it just depended on what kind they wanted to make that day.
Charlie seemed to be in awe of all of it. It didn”t matter if he was here just to see her or he wanted to see all of this too. It meant a lot to see someone from the outside admiring the bakery her family had put together.”This is quite an operation.”
Charlie looked over and smiled in a way that made her heat up under her dress. That was not how this was supposed to go. But there was something about the way he complimented the space that made her feel proud of what she had helped to build her.
It also made her want him to take her dress off right there and have his way with her on the cookie prep table, but that would totally be a health code violation and she was more concerned about that than getting laid.
Instead, she continued to walk him around, showing him a few more machines before heading over to their wall of refrigerators with tomorrow”s shipments ready to go.
”Can I look inside?”
Charlie seemed like an excited kid opening a birthday present and Maggie didn”t want to disappoint him. She gave him a small smile and opened the door for the fridge with slabs of caramel chocolate brownies for local grocery stores.
”We”ll have someone coming in in the morning to cut these up for delivery.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was a look of desire on his face and Maggie knew it was for the brownies even though she may have wished it was for her.
”So what time do they cut these and can I watch?”
She stood still, trying to pull her mind out of the gutter and whatever it was that Charlie wanted to watch.
”Uh.... the morning starts at five a.m.”
”Nevermind.”
He gave her a teasing smile and grabbed for the handle of the fridge, brushing her wrist as he closed the door. He probably didn”t notice that he brushed against her skin, but she could feel his touch linger red-hot even though it was there and gone.
”What about the desserts for the arena?”
He said it quickly and Maggie wondered if perhaps he had noticed her after all. It was better to just press on though and not make a big deal about it. After all, his contract with her signature was still sitting up on her desk. There was time for him to take it back and she really didn”t want that.
So she walked down the line of freezers until she got to one with a big piece of paper taped to it with the Otters logo.
”I think these might be yours.”
Charlie”s eyes lit up and he got a huge grin on his face as he watched and waited for her to open the door. She didn”t want to disappoint him. Inside were rows and rows of chocolate cupcakes that they had made that afternoon.
”I have to be honest with you,” she said. ”We used a new technique to fill these quickly since we had to make so many for the arena. Would you like to try one?”
He gave her a teasing but sarcastic look that seemed to say ”Well, of course,” so she was more than happy to oblige.
”Let me get you one,” she said as she reached into the fridge.
”Don”t trust me with baked goods, do you?”
She gingerly pulled one out of a tray and stepped back only to find Charlie in her personal space. He seemed to be looking at the trays and trays of cupcakes and not realizing where he was, but she knew exactly where she was. It was right in front of the open door for the refrigerator and yet she felt a surge of heat go through her body.
Then he turned, his eyes falling on her. They got wide as he realized just how close he was standing, but he didn”t seem to want to move away immediately. Maggie watched him take a deep breath, close his eyes, and finally put a step between them before opening them again.
There was a tight smile on his face when he opened his eyes again and he seemed to have composed himself.
”For you,” she said quietly as she handed over cupcake. ”Let me take you upstairs and you can eat it in my office.”
He took the little cake from her hand without a word and followed her as she closed the fridge door and started walking. Charlie took a few more steps so he could be next to her and she noticed how carefully he was holding the cupcake she had given him as if it was a delicate gift.
”Afraid you”re going to accidentally crush that one?” she said teasingly.
”Don”t joke like that. You”ll jinx me.”
Her laugh echoed through the empty bakery space and made a warm sound in the space that soothed whatever tension was building between them. It was better to break that and not let it develop than to get her hopes up. Besides, he was the one who smashed her cake.
Why did she feel that didn”t really matter anymore?
”Watch the stairs. They”re a little old,” Maggie instructed as Charlie fell in line behind her.
At the top of the stairs was a door to the offices that looked down on the machines below and she led him to the one that was just for her. It was sparse except for some random pieces of paper with recipes she was working on or notes about some grocery deals.
She had a chair across from the desk and she watched as Charlie casually slid his coat off and draped it over the back of the chair. Somehow the man even made taking his coat off look sexy.
She turned back to her desk, trying not to stare and instead switching her attention to the three-ring binder on her desk with the same Otters logo on it as the fridge downstairs on the floor. It had all of her notes for the arena project in it as well as the signed contract for the new job. Maggie saw a small smile on Charlie”s face when he noticed it and put the cupcake down next to it on her desk.
”Is that for me?”
”Only part of it.”
She walked over and flipped the cover open, grabbing the contract from a side pocket to give to him. But when she turned around, she hadn”t realized she had stepped so close to him. He was still a respectful distance away but it wasn”t totally respectful and she could feel a shiver up her spine.
”You know, you didn”t have to come down here to get this,” she said, holding the contract against her chest.
”Get what?”
Charlie”s response had an edge of dark sultriness to it that again made her think something was lurking under his button-up shirt.
”You didn”t have to come here to pick up the contract or the baked goods. I could”ve brought those to you at the arena.” She gave him a perplexed look. ”What did you think I meant?”
Charlie was quiet as he stood there but wouldn”t look at her. She could see his jaw flex as if he was on edge and trying to find an outlet for his stress. She wondered if he thought they were standing too close to each other or if he felt the same way about her that was feeling about him in this moment.
She wondered if it was a good thing that they were there together -- alone -- in the factory.
”I shouldn”t have come,” Charlie said with a dark and husky voice.
”Are my cupcakes really that bad?”
Maggie was trying for an innocent voice, but she couldn”t help the sultry sound that came out of her mouth. Holy crap, what was this man doing to her?
”Your cupcakes are amazing,” Charlie told her. ”I just have a lot on my mind.”
She couldn”t help but feel the need to reach out to him. Her hand came up, her palm flat against his shirt. She could feel his muscles tense under her touch and it sent a shiver up her spine again. This man was built well.
He also seemed to like being next to Maggie. His eyes drifted down to where her hand was touching him, staring at her hand but not pulling away.
”If you don”t like the cupcake, I can give you something else you”d like.”
Maggie took a step closer without touching him except for her hand on his chest. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed and could feel the sharp intake of breath under her touch. Yeah, she was pretty sure he wanted something else -- at least that”s what she hoped. Because she wanted the same thing.
Then Charlie finally looked up with a fire in his eyes that hadn”t been there before. ”I want to forget about everything outside of this office.”
”I think I can help with that.”
He continued to stare at her, dark and intense but in a way that didn”t scare her or make her question what was going on here. He wanted her. Hell, it almost felt like he needed her. And in this moment, she needed him too.
”I don”t want you to think I”m just using you to forget about everything else.”
She shook her head. ”You”re not using me if it”s something we both want.” She took a step closer. ”What do you want right now just in this office without the world outside?”
Charlie took a deep breath and put his hand over hers against his chest, pushing her palm tight against his chest.
”I want to make you come. I don”t care how. Whatever you want. I just want to make you feel good.”
His voice sounded sturdy and assertive, but there was a tone in there that he was trying to hide. It was like a desperation to know that someone wanted him.
And right now, she wanted him so badly.
Maggie took another step closer, her body almost against him now, and Charlie seemed too shocked to move.
”Do you not like me getting closer to you?” she asked.
”You didn”t seem to want to be all that close to me the first time we met.”
She angled her head slightly and gave him a teasing smile. ”You smashed my cake.”
”I”m good at smashing things.” He winced. ”Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say.”
”It was cute.”
”I don”t want to be cute.”
”Then what do you want, Charlie?”
Maggie saying his name seemed to finally spur him into action and before she realized what was going on, he had pulled her close and kissed her. His lips were warm and demanding and holy hell, did she want this.
She wasn”t sure when it happened, but there was some point between Charlie smashing her cake and walking into her office tonight when she found him infuriating in a deliciously sexy way.
She pulled herself closer to him, deepening her kiss as his hands began to roam her body, touching her exactly where she wanted him to, trailing his fingers down to her waist.
He stumbled a bit, sending both of them backward, her ass hitting her desk, making her let out a small squeak.
”You OK?” he asked gruffly.
She couldn”t respond, couldn”t say anything. Instead, Maggie just grabbed him again and pulled him down to her to kiss her some more.
Charlie seemed to be surprised by her boldness this time, but he countered well as his lips started to kiss her harder, his hands trying to find someplace to grab her and pull her closer.
This wasn”t what she expected by Maggie did plan for it tonight. The lingerie, the waiting until everyone would be gone. Maybe some of it was even subconscious but so be it. She was too into Charlie right now to worry about what they were doing or what she had done to get them here.
Charlie stumbled a bit as he tried to get leverage over her body, her ass hitting her desk as one of his hands slipped away to find some way to keep them up.
”Oh, crap.”
She opened her eyes to see Charlie staring at his hand and her eyes followed his to the icing on his fingers. She could almost guarantee what she was going to see next and sure enough, she turned to find the black cherry chocolate cupcake he had left on her desk to have his fingerprints in it.
”You just can”t avoid that, can you?”
”Apparently not,” he lamented. ”I uh...”
He started to pull away, but there was no way Maggie was going to let him go. This was too good and if he took one more step back, all of this could be gone.
So Maggie gently grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand closer. Her eyes lingered on his face for just a moment as he stared at her in anticipation.
She never felt so turned out by icing before, but it never tasted as good as it did when she put Charlie”s finger in her mouth and sucked the chocolate icing off. She watched as he closed his eyes, almost wavering on his feet as her tongue swirled around his finger to get every last bit off.
Then she did the same thing to his second finger, this time eliciting an actual groan from him that made heat pulse between her legs. What was this man doing to her without actually doing her?
It seemed to finally be too much for him and Charlie pulled his finger from her lip before she was even finished.
”What are you wearing under that skirt?”
She shrugged. ”Panties.”
”What do they look like?” he growled.
Maggie gave him a teasing smile. ”Black lace.”
Charlie stared down at her for a moment as his brain seemed to short circuit before he finally remembered where he was again.
Maggie”s factory. Maggie”s office. Maggie”s desk.
”Get them off.”
Maggie didn”t have to be told twice. She reached under her skirt and deftly pulled her underwear down, making sure to bend over in just the right way to give Charlie another tease about what she really wanted.
But he wasn”t paying attention, instead fumbling around trying to find something in his pocket before he pulled a black leather wallet out of his pants pocket. She watched as he pulled out a condom from the back and tossed the wallet on her desk -- right on top of the cupcake he had already smashed.
”What the fuck is with that cake?” he snarled.
Charlie grabbed his belt with extra force as he unbuckled it, making Maggie wonder if she should be thankful for the cupcake continuing to torture him. It only made him hotter and made her want him more.
Maggie leaned back against her desk and watched as Charlie yanked his pants down and then his boxers, his cock hard and free. It turned her on to watch him roll the condom on and when he looked up at her, she was done. He could have his way with her because that”s what she wanted.
He stepped closer, his hand going under her skirt to grab her bare ass and push the fabric higher. She never realized how cold her desk was until her bare skin was against it, but there was no way she was going to complain.
”Maggie.” Charlie”s voice was dark now, matching his pupils as he stared down at her. ”Please tell me you want this.”
She nodded and pulled him towards her again for a harsh kiss against her lips. This wasn”t soft and sweet and sugary anymore. It was rough and demanding and she wanted him to know she was demanding him now.
”Maggie.” His lips trailed down her neck as his fingers dug into the softness of her skin under her skirt. ”Oh, Maggie. I want you so bad.”
Maggie reached forward, putting her hands in his hips, demanding and rough as she pulled him to her. He was so close to her, so close to where she wanted him to be. He needed to know they understood each other. She knew where this was going and she wanted to go there with him.
”Give me what I want, Charlie,” she demanded.
There was a growl that escaped his lips and he moved his hand to position himself right where she wanted him, where she could feel the desire pooling between her legs.
He was looking at her now, staring into her eyes, waiting for that last moment to tell him to go. Maggie tried to come up with something to say, but the words wouldn”t come. She bit her lip trying to come with something, but it only elicited a sexy grin from Charlie.
He got her message. He knew what she wanted.
Charlie plunged into her in one swift move, causing her to gasp as her back arched to his touch. Yeah, this was definitely what she wanted. In this office, in this moment, he wasn”t the owner of a hockey team or the new client for her bakery. He was a man, hot and hard and taking her for all she had.
And Maggie had a lot to give. Every thrust was met with her digging her fingers into his arm, the fabric soft and pliable under her grasp. She could feel his muscles tense with each move, each thrust, and she urged him on as she held on tighter.
It was getting harder to hold him though, his hands grasping for anything he could hold onto to keep her close to him. She could feel his hand push her skirt higher, his palm coming up against her soft belly. He pushed her gently, then with some force, as her back hit her desk. It sounded like her pens crashed to the floor, but she didn”t care.
Maggie reached up and grabbed his wrist, willing him to put more force against her, keeping her in place as he had his way with her. The way he moved with fiery and possessive and when she arched her back against the desk, the growl that came from him sounded forbidden and wild.
She had never been fucked quite like this and absolutely never on her desk in her office. But she would have to do this again and again and again if he was going to make her feel this way.
”Charlie.”
It was a whisper, a moan, but it was enough to spur him on and make him reach just the right place for her to start seeing stars.
”Oh, fuck, Charlie.” His fingers tightened against her belly. ”Oh, fuck, I”m so close, Charlie.”
He groaned and thrust harder, his moves erratic and desperate, as her hand tightened around his wrist. She wasn”t lying to him when she said she was close. So close... so...
The waves of ecstasy crashed through her as Charlie thrust into her one more time before stilling above her, riding her high as she pulsed around him until her body went limp from the passion of being thoroughly screwed on top of her desk.
Charlie finally pulled out of her, his elbows coming down next to her as he tried to catch his breath and get his bearings. His face glistened with sweat and there was some lipstick lingering on his lips. His hair was a disheveled mess.
He looked like he had been ravished by a woman who took him for everything he had. Maggie took pride in the fact that she was that woman.
His hand came up and caressed her cheek. ”You OK?” She could only nod. ”Was that good for you?”
”Very good,” she said with a small laugh.
Charlie leaned down and kissed her as he slid his hand under her back and pulled her up against him. She couldn”t help but wrap her arms around his neck and keep him close as he pulled his hands away. She could hear his belt buckle rattle and looked down to see him trying to get the zipper of his pants up.
”Be honest,” he said as he leaned down to look at her. ”Do I look like a mess?”
”You look like you”ve had a good time.”
He gave her a teasing smile. ”That was more than a good time,” he said before leaning down and kissing her again.
Charlie finally stepped back and gave Maggie room to hop off her desk. And yep, there were pens everywhere. She would have to deal with those later. The more pressing issue was her underwear, which were discarded somewhere.
Charlie seemed to sense what was going on, his arm snaking around her waist as he kissed her neck again. ”Bathroom?”
”Bottom of the stairs.”
He gave her that sexy smile again that made her remember why she had her way with him in the office. ”I”ll meet you down there?”
She just nodded, thankful that he was giving her a few seconds to pull herself together.
Charlie grabbed his coat off the back of the chair and then reached for his wallet on top of that stupid cupcake. He picked it up gingerly and cringed at the icing stuck to the outside.
”Be careful with that cupcake,” he warned. ”That thing is out to get me.”
Maggie could only laugh as she watched him carefully walk out with the wallet held aloft in front of him. But to be fair, he wasn”t kidding. She didn”t know what it was about that black cherry chocolate cake, but it truly was cursed around Charlie.
She grabbed the trash can next to her desk and swept the smashed cake into it, then covered it up with some papers already in there. It would arouse suspicion if anyone saw it in there. Better to cover it up than have one of her family members ask what happened.
The pens were quickly kicked under her desk -- she would deal with those tomorrow -- and she finally found her underwear. Maggie slid them on and was about to head downstairs when she remembered one thing: the contract.
The whole reason Charlie came here in the first place and she almost forgot about it. But that type of thing can happen when a baker gets ravished by a billionaire.
Charlie was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, coat slung over his gorgeous arm as he looked up at her.
”What”s that?” he asked, pointing to the paper in her hand.
”The contract.”
Charlie”s laugh echoed in the empty factory space. ”The actual reason for being here.”
”I mean, the other reason was good.”
”It was.”
He took the contract from her hand and lingered, staring down at the paper.
”Listen.” He looked up and gave her an awkward smile. ”We”re going on a road trip, and that sucks because I kind of want to stay here and see you some more.”
”I”ll be here when you get back and you know where to find me,” she said as she gestured to the empty space.
”But no more black cherry chocolate cake please.”
She laughed. ”Definitely not,” she said. ”Come on. Let me get you out of here.”
Charlie”s free hand slid into hers and he let her pull him through the factory that somehow looked different than it did when he walked in.
He only let go when they got to the door and he slid his coat on and stuck the contract in his inside coat pocket while she unlocked the door for him.
Maggie was about to open it when Charlie stepped close to her, his breath warm on her cheek.
”I really did enjoy tonight, Maggie.”
”I did too.”
He leaned down and kissed her again, this time soft and teasing against her lips. Then he gave her a tight smile, pushed the door open, and walked out.
She locked the door and watched as he climbed into his car and drove away.
The factory was quiet again, the machines still, but Maggie felt like the whole place was different and alive with energy.
She also really needed to stop making black cherry chocolate cake for Charlie.