16. Cormac
Chapter Sixteen
CORMAC
I didn’t get a moment’s rest on the flight back to New York. I was hoping by the time I arrived back at the penthouse, my body would at least give out and let me get a few hours’ sleep before I needed to be at the office, but no. My mind was working on overdrive, thinking of Scout.
Even the promise of moving him out here to be with me might not be enough to get him to behave for Ray, in the meantime. And the thought of him sneaking out again…
The sooner I bite the bullet and bring him here to be with me, the better, if only so I can get some much-needed sleep.
It’s not much past six by the time I step off the elevator and head toward my office.
The place is deserted, which is unsurprising. The only person who is ordered to come in before eight is Fiona. And that’s not even out of necessity. I just like ordering her around, knowing that she will obey my every demand with a smile on her face.
When I turn down the corridor where my office is situated and notice the light on across the hall, my own lips twitch at the corners.
It seems Fiona was eager to get to work today. I wonder why…
Perhaps it has something to do with the message I sent her last night before I boarded my plane.
I stop outside the door and look in. Whoever designed it so that the entire front wall of my assistant's office is glass deserves a raise.
Fiona doesn’t notice me, and for a moment, I watch her flit around the office barefoot, wearing a deep blue dress that I haven’t seen before.
It’s even more figure-hugging than the skirts she tends to favor, which is both a blessing and a curse because that ass is already on my mind enough as it is.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of the things I plan on doing to Fiona, and that dress is only making my list longer.
Fiona turns around and almost jumps out of her skin at the sight of me standing there, holding a hand to her chest, which of course immediately draws my eyes to the soft swell of her breasts peeking out through the neckline of her dress.
I fight a smile as I open the glass door and step inside. “Good morning, Miss Callahan.”
“Cormac, you scared me! How was your trip?”
“Fine.” I tuck my hands into the pockets of my slacks.
Fiona hovers nervously in the middle of the room.
I can tell she’s desperate to ask me more. But thankfully, she shows some restraint and darts over to the coffee machine.
“Would you like one?”
“No, thank you.”
I watch her as she readies the machine, trying not to look too smug when I see her glancing out of the corner of her eye and blushing when she notices me watching her.
“Tell me, has my request been honored this morning, Miss Callahan?”
Fiona straightens, abandoning her task, and spins around to face me.
From the pink blush staining her cheeks, I know it has, and that’s enough to have my cock twitching in my pants.
“Yes. I’m not one to disobey an order.” Her breathlessness makes me want to take her now.
I bite back a groan as my cock starts to harden.
Her willingness to submit to me is almost unbearable, and from the slight smile on her face, she knows it too.
“Enjoy your coffee,” I manage to grit out before heading into my office before I do something stupid like tear that dress off of her.
I take a seat at my desk and reach down to adjust my cock that is straining against my belt.
The whole point of telling Fiona not to wear underwear was to torture her, to have it be a constant reminder of what’s to come.
Instead, I’m the one left with a raging hard-on at the thought of lifting up that skirt and seeing her bare pussy.
It’s going to be a very, very long day.
I spend most of the morning on the phone with clients, hoping to better distract myself from a panty-less Fiona. But of course, my plan fails miserably.
Every time I catch a glimpse of her as she walks past my door, my cock immediately stands at attention, and no amount of palming myself over my slacks is helping. The only thing that will is having Fiona’s lips wrapped around it.
“Screw this.” I get to my feet.
I cross over to my door and peer through the window.
Fiona is sitting behind her desk, typing away, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m watching her. Or maybe she knows and is choosing to ignore me. Either way, after what I’m about to do, she won’t be able to ignore me any longer.
I pull out my phone and type out an email to her, letting her know what I plan on doing to her the moment the office clears out at the end of the day.
I don’t hold back on the details, giving her a play-by-play of every place I intend to put my fingers, tongue, and, most importantly, my cock.
It’s the least she deserves, considering she’s tortured me all damn morning.
The moment I hit send, I look through the window in my office and watch as she opens the email. I watch her scan it once before her eyes flick up and lock with mine.
I don’t fight the smirk that tugs at my lips.
Throwing open my door, I cross the hall to her office and wrap my knuckles against the glass.
Her eyes widen as I step inside.
From the way her cheeks flood with color, I know my email did the trick.
“Something wrong?” I feign innocence.
She shakes her head a little too quickly, which tells me all I need to know.
“Did you receive my email, Miss Callahan?”
Fiona clears her throat and forces a smile. “Y-yes. I did.”
“I trust you to ensure my schedule is cleared in order to accommodate the last-minute…meeting. This is quite urgent.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”
I’m getting worked up just looking at her. So much so that if I don’t think about something else for a while, I’m going to explode, and showing up with a wet patch over my crotch might not be a good look for my upcoming meeting.
I leave Fiona in the company of my very explicit email and stalk back into my office.
The only other way I can think of keeping my mind busy is getting started on making arrangements to bring Scout to New York.
Right now, he’s with the only person I would ever trust to look after him, except for maybe Ronan. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that Scout doesn’t just need to be in the same time zone as me, he actually needs me.
How I’m going to juggle work and an energetic six-year-old, I have no idea. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s one I can’t walk away from.
It might be time to talk to Ronan about integrating Scout into the family because someone is going to have to watch him if I’m at work, and I’m sure as hell not about to hire a nanny. An assistant was already a step too far, and I’ve already shown I can’t be trusted to keep things professional.
I guess I’ll just have to swallow my pride and ask my brothers for help.
“Was there something you wanted, Miss Callahan?” I don’t look up as Fiona enters my office later that evening.
“It’s seven.”
“And?” It takes every ounce of self-control I have to keep my face blank.
I know what time it is because I’ve been obsessively watching the minutes tick by for the past half an hour.
“We had an appointment.”
“Did we?” I still don’t look up.
Fiona is silent for a beat before taking a few steps toward me.
I keep my eyes fixed on my screen, feigning disinterest despite my hunger to watch those hips sway from side to side with each step.
“Yes.”
“Hmm, it must have slipped my mind.”
I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing as, out of the corner of my eye, I catch Fiona folding her arms over her chest.
It looks like someone needs to practice patience.
I push back from my desk and get to my feet.
My jacket is slung over the back of my chair, so I grab it and quickly shrug it on, still without even looking at Fiona.
Only when I’ve fastened the button and pocketed my phone do I lift my gaze to hers. “Something wrong?”
She frowns as she eyes my jacket. “Are you going somewhere?”
Despite how hard she’s clearly trying to keep her expression in check, the disappointment is written all over her face.
I try not to smirk. “I’m heading out to dinner.”
“O-oh.”
“With you.”
Fiona’s eyes widen with surprise at this news.
“Uh…”
“I suggest you go and get your coat. You’ll catch a cold in that,” I let my eyes roam over her body, making sure to linger a little too long on her breasts.
Of course, Fiona does as I ask, eagerly hurrying back to her office to get her coat.
The moment she closes the door behind her, I run a hand over my face.
What the hell did I just do? I thought sleeping with my assistant was bad enough, but apparently, that doesn’t stop me from taking her out to dinner too.
Am I that fucking lonely that the thought of going back to the empty penthouse has me clawing at any chance for human connection? Or is it because I’m quickly becoming addicted to Fiona Callahan?
I have a horrible feeling it might be the latter.
Right now, our relationship is nothing but physical. The end of the day comes, and so do we, that’s the deal.
But dinner? That involves romantic lighting and polite conversation. It’s a territory we haven’t explored, and one I didn’t intend to explore until this second, apparently.
Yet, I couldn’t seem to stop the offer from coming out of my mouth because I knew it would catch Fiona off guard, and that is quickly becoming one of my favorite pastimes.
Perhaps moving our little after-work activities out of the office isn’t such a bad thing. It’s only a matter of time before someone catches us, and I might be the boss, but that won’t stop me from having to answer to Ronan if he finds out.
Fiona says as she reappears, zipping up her coat, “I want to make one thing clear. I’m paying my own way tonight.”
With her big, blue eyes and blonde hair, she looks like she’s stepped right out of a cartoon, so her attempt to look serious is, quite frankly, adorable.
I raise a brow. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“How very modern of you.”
Fiona scowls up at me, which only adds to my amusement.
I let my gaze linger on her lips as I take a step closer. I wonder if she’ll still feel that way when I take her to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city just for the hell of it.
I’m all for women wanting to pay their own way, but not with me.
Tonight will be an interesting game to play, and when it’s over, Fiona will have no doubt about who’s really in charge.