Twenty
Max
As I rode the elevator up to work on Tuesday, all I could think about was her . And the absolute certainty that I needed to tell her the truth about who I was and what I was doing at her company. All day yesterday I'd thought about it, during the bus ride back in the morning, staring at Dee's head once again, wishing I could be the one sitting next to her, and then during the rest of the day off for Insight Ink which I'd spent working from home, trying to catch up on Echelon work.
That's why I stopped her from doing anything more in the hot tub. I knew without a doubt she'd be pissed as hell if she found out later that she'd gone down on Max Sterling without me telling her. She'd be mad enough as it is. But that? I'd probably get a knife to the stomach.
Thoughts of Dee consumed me, all night, all day, remembering the feel of her body, the taste of her, the way she'd looked and sounded with my head between her thighs. Fuck. I couldn't think of that right now in a crowded Manhattan elevator.
Finally, I made it to our floor, and I made a beeline to my desk, happy to see Cordelia already seated. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since I'd last seen her, but I'd missed her like crazy. Man, I had it bad.
"You're late," she greeted me as I sat down.
"I am," I admitted with a shrug. "So what are you going to do about it?"
She sent me a look, a stern frown that was fucking hot, but there was a teasing light in her eyes that gave her away. Turning back to her computer, her back ramrod straight, I couldn't help laughing.
This had the potential to be the best time of my life. Never had I even considered hooking up with any woman in the office. It was unprofessional and could only lead to complications. But for this woman next to me, I was willing to take the risk and dive head-first into the unknown. What an unknown it was, though, playing the part of fucking Jared.
Taking my cue from Dee, I got to work, checking my few emails, which were night and day compared to my real email load. Even filtered by my assistant, it was still a monster task to get through everything.
A message popped up on my screen and I leaned forward to read it.
"Thanks for the flowers yesterday. That was really sweet."
Smiling, I quickly wrote her back. "Sweet flowers for a sweet girl."
"I am NOT sweet."
I could feel that all caps word through the screen, and my smile grew even more. She was so much fun to mess with. "Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not. You're sweeter than I am."
Was I? And if that was the case, was that a good thing? While I pondered what to say to that, I felt a presence approaching and turned to see Veronica. The way she strode toward us, all business with a deadly serious look on her face, I almost had to remind myself that I was actually her boss. Veronica was fantastic as my employee, but seeing her from this angle was certainly a different perspective.
"How was the retreat?" she asked once she reached us, making Dee whirl around in surprise.
"Great," I answered first, trying to give Dee a second to compose herself.
"Yes, great," she echoed, her voice a little too high-pitched.
Veronica nodded her head. "I trust you had a good team-building experience? Strengthened your camaraderie?"
As Veronica stared at her, Dee coughed, like the very air we breathed was choking her. "Oh, definitely," she finally managed to say.
"Yes, yes, I agree. Couldn't be more, uh, close-knit now."
Veronica's gaze flicked back and forth between us. "Good. That's what I like to hear. Keep up the tight work, you two."
"Yep. Very tight," I said, not able to help myself.
A pink-cheeked Dee gulped down some water while I did my best to suppress a smile.
"And how are things with Venus?" Veronica asked. "Any word?"
"No," Dee said, "nothing's changed... yet. But we have a few things we're working on to try to woo her. Just waiting to hear back."
At her words, dread filled me because I realized I'd fucked up. Royally.
"Okay, well, keep me posted," Veronica said, a hint of disappointment in her voice, before turning to leave.
Cordelia whirled on me. "Fucking Max Sterling," she rage whispered. "I knew we couldn't rely on him. Asshole couldn't even be bothered to write us back."
Fuck, fuck, fuck .
"Maybe he didn't even see our email, though. I'm sure everything goes through assistants who deem whether or not it's worthy of passing on to him."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, precious CEO in his penthouse office who can't even check his own emails. I knew we shouldn't have ever asked him anything. He's the last person in the world we can rely on for a favor."
God, that stung. So I'd forgotten about it in the excitement of the retreat. But I truly had every intention of replying that I'd be happy to send that painting to its rightful owner. And I would actually do it as soon as possible. I just needed a minute to write my assistant to put it all in motion.
"He might still come through," I said. "These things take time, and he's a busy guy, I'm sure."
Dee snorted. "Yeah, busy what , exactly? Busy taking everyone else's money and stomping all over regular people along the way. Busy sitting in some luxury boardroom playing golf on the roof while everyone else is drowning in work..."
I winced thinking of my rooftop putting green, but Dee was just getting started.
"Or maybe he's busy on some yacht right now, sipping champagne while his assistants do all the work and kiss his ass while doing it. Oh, Max, you're such a genius. You're so brilliant ."
"Maybe he—" I began but she quickly cut me off.
"CEOs are all the same. Greedy, greedy, greedy, with egos the size of the sun. And ridiculous car collections. And private jets named after themselves. And all that when they don't actually really do anything except sign checks and give themselves raises."
"Maybe he—" I tried again with the same exact result.
"Well, fuck you , Max Sterling. Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."
And with that, she slammed her hand on her desk and pounded away on her keyboard, leaving me reeling at just how much hate she harbored for the real me.
"Uh, what are you doing, Dee?" I asked, wondering if I, or rather my assistant, was about to receive a scathing email.
"Ordering art supplies," she huffed.
"Art supplies?"
"Yep. I'm going to make my own damn painting of Freddie."
"You are?"
"Yes, I am. And it'll be a billion times better than the one Max bought with his million dollars."
No idea what to say to that or even what to think, I decided in the end to just let her be, leave her alone to let off some of the steam. So I turned back to my own computer, and then to my phone, shooting off a quick message to my assistant about the original email we'd sent and to please act on it.
Tonight, I'd craft and send the actual email back to Dee. It was too important to do right here on the fly, and besides, the timing would be weird. Although, I had to fucking tell her. I just had to.
But not here. Not in the office. I needed her alone. I needed endless time before us with no one around and no interruptions. So the only thing left to do was to ask the woman out. Officially.
Take her to a nice dinner and then maybe a stroll afterwards where I'd confess it all. And maybe, just maybe, she'd forgive me and give me a chance.
Once Dee's pounding keyboard quieted and the sighs coming from the right of me lost their edge, I sent her an interoffice message. "Feel better?"
"Yes," she wrote back immediately. "Thank you."
Realizing I couldn't ask her out on my company computer, I wrote it out on a note and passed it to her. "Can I take you to dinner sometime?" Keeping it simple. Classy.
She smiled as she read it, a smile that lit me up, but also filled me with nerves. Because she was smiling at Jared asking. Not Max. Most certainly not Max.
"Sure," she wrote back.
"Tonight?"
"Can't. I'm busy all week."
"Okay. So when? Friday?"
Instead of writing back, she nodded at me, a light shining in her pretty eyes. "Okay. Friday."
"Friday then, beautiful."
A beat passed before she turned back to her work, and I took a long moment to watch her, to admire her posture, how she held herself, the way her slender fingers curved on the keyboard.
How had this five-foot-nothing woman done such a number on me? She was everything—sexy, smart, and sassy as fuck.
A sound from my phone drew me away, and I looked down to see a text from Dee. "Meet me in the storage room in five minutes."
I held the phone closer to read it again. Was she fucking serious? Did this mean what I thought it did? Or was this just another work thing and I was reading something into it with my dirty mind?
Turning to look at her to try to gauge her meaning, all I got was a view of her sweet backside as she strode away.
Wait a fucking minute. If this had anything to do with actual work, we'd just be going in there together, right? Like we had in the very beginning of this saga when she'd given me the reorganization task.
So... genius that I was, I had to figure that this was something different. Something very different.
My cock twitched at the thought of what was to come. No double entendre intended.
Shit. She'd said five minutes. I needed to note the actual time and not get ahead of myself.
And in pure agony, I waited. And waited. And waited. The whole time wondering what I'd find when I went in there. Of course, I imagined Dee in all sorts of positions. All sorts of outfits. But in the end, none of that mattered. All I wanted was her . Her smile. Her laugh. Her brand of being.
In the back of my mind, I couldn't erase the sense of guilt I felt, try as I might. Because Dee thought she was fucking with Jared, and the honorable thing to do would be to tell her immediately my real name. No matter the consequences to myself. Because there would definitely be consequences. She'd put a stop to this. She would hate me. And she'd never speak to me again.
Fucking hell . I hated that thought.
Not sure what to do, I glanced at my phone clock and it was time.
So I stood up and walked the familiar path to the storage room, which was all the way in the back, out of the way, neglected and hopefully forgotten. I'd let Dee lead the way, wait and see what she had in mind before I jumped to any conclusions.
I still wanted that date, wanted that time with her to discuss everything we needed to discuss, so if I could put it off until then, I would.
Heart pounding, I made my way down the quiet hallway, any noise or chatter fading behind me. Slowly opening the door, I peeked in, seeing nothing but pitch-black darkness. Had I made it in here before her?
A hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in and shutting the door, making me almost laugh before a mouth kissed the side of my mouth, kind of missing the mark. And then there was a giggle. And then a solid kiss landing directly on my lips, a tongue in my mouth, hands all over me.
Jesus .
"Dee, I—"
"Don't speak," she said against my lips. "Not a fucking word."
"I really—"
"What did I just say?" she angrily whispered, putting my hands on her covered up boobs. "You can touch them now."
Ah, hell. "I can touch your tits?"
"Don't call them that," she hissed. "I hate that word."
"Well, what can I say then?"
"Not boobs either. I can say that, but you can't, unless it's a joke or something."
Not able to think clearly with my hands full of Dee's breasts, I whispered another word, hoping Dee would think it was funny. "Jugs? Melons?"
She giggled again. "Stop it."
Pulling away, she returned a split second later, grabbing my hands once more and placing them on her bare breasts. And oh, my fucking God, it was like I'd died and been transported to storage room paradise. "How about heaven?" I said with a quiet groan. "Pure fucking heaven."
I thumbed a puckered nipple, my eyes straining to see anything in this darkness. What I wouldn't give to have an image to go along with this, but mentally, I could somewhat fill in the blanks from that bikini top Dee had worn the other night. I wondered why suddenly she was okay with this, but it was probably best not to ask.
So all I did was revel in the feel of her, how perfectly she filled my hands, how silky soft her skin was, the way her nipples hardened and responded to my every touch.
My God, the way my cock strained inside my pants was unbearable.
Something about being in the dark like this heightened all my senses, especially as Dee's hands roamed all over my body. The idea that she could want me this much, that she couldn't keep her hands off me, so much so she'd literally dragged me in here... fuck me, it was absolutely everything to me.
Not wasting any time, she went right to my belt buckle, making quick work of it, then pulling my zipper down and setting me free. The way she just went right for it, like she wanted me, wanted my cock, set my veins on fire.
Once again, she pulled away, but I heard shuffling in front of me, and put my hands out to find her shoulders, lower down than I expected, making me realize something that shocked me to my core.
But that was nothing compared to what she did next, rubbing her breasts up against my straining erection, the sensation like nothing I'd ever felt before.
"Holy shit, woman," I groaned. "What are you doing to me?"
"What I wanted to do the other night, but you wouldn't let me."
I hissed when her lips met the tip of my cock, not sure I'd be able to hold myself upright if she did indeed go through with this. She kissed me in the sweetest fucking way, not only adding to my sky-high lust but melting my soul at the same time.
And then her tongue went wild exploring the length of me, going down to my balls where she cupped me, then back up my shaft, finding the ultra-sensitive ridge there and toying with it.
"I have a horrible gag reflex," she murmured.
"Baby, do you think I care? Everything you're doing feels so fucking good ."
That last word came out on a groan as she sucked my tip into her warm, wet mouth.
" Damn ."
Did I mention her mouth was wet? Like really wet somehow, and it felt like the penthouse suite of heaven, like if heaven itself had a heaven. Absolute bliss, pure pleasure, all focused on the most sensitive part of my body, making my entire frame shudder with the intensity.
Needing something to grab onto, my fingers found her hair in the dark, and I gently tangled them into her locks, careful not to put an ounce of pressure on her, wanting to completely let her do her thing, one-hundred percent her way.
And then her hands added to the mix, both of them, doing some kind of twisty thing up and down, while she swirled her tongue around my rim.
My fucking God.
" Cor... Cordelia . You're... you're..."
I couldn't even complete a thought with how incredible she was making me feel. Everything in me centered on her mouth and my cock, every single thing in the world melting away, leaving only the two of us, only this divine pleasure she was giving me.
And best of all?
She seemed to be enjoying it. Her enthusiasm came through in every movement, every sound, every breath, not like she was forcing herself or even just going through the motions.
Ramping up her twisting, all my nerve endings set on fire, and then she truly blew my mind when she sucked me back in again, this time rubbing my tip along the inside of her cheek, making me close to exploding.
It was almost frightening how quickly I'd gone from zero to sixty. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing. But with Dee, it actually wasn't embarrassing. I was more myself, ironically, with her than with anyone I'd ever been with before, including my former fiancée.
This was how it was supposed to be, this ease, this fun, light, and laughter, all tied up with mind-shattering lust and desire, not just for her body but her mind too. This insatiable want to always be with her, always thinking of her, more than anything else in the world.
Her hands on me kept up that insane twisting and stroking, all while she sucked my cock, her lips going over and over along my tip, sending me to the moon.
Everything in me converged into a single point, and I knew I was about to explode into her mouth.
"I'm... baby, I'm about to..."
"Come in my mouth," she demanded.
"You are so fucking hot," I managed to say. "A fucking goddess."
She moaned around me, the sensation just adding fuel to the fire, all of her movements speeding up, intensifying, driving me right to the edge.
My muscles tensed, on the brink, this woman blowing my cock and my mind simultaneously, and I couldn't hold back anymore, hoping beyond hope that she was ready for me.
And she was.
I exploded into her sweet mouth, sheer bliss pulsing through me, my balls, my dick, every nerve ending humming with ecstasy, the sensation so strong my knees almost gave out. Groaning with pleasure, I held onto her, my fingers digging into her shoulders as I tried to steady myself while she licked my tip, cleaning me off completely, taking every single drop I gave her.
"Holy shit. Dee. That was... that was fucking..." Breathless, I paused, searching for the right words. "The most incredible experience of my life."
It was brutally honest putting that out there, and a little vulnerable, but it was the goddamn truth.
Standing back up, she kissed me on the cheek, but I wasn't having any of that. So I ducked down, put her gorgeous head between my palms and aimed right for her lips, not caring in the least that I'd taste myself.
Kissing me back thoroughly, I clutched onto her, then let my hands roam down her delicious body, wanting to touch her everywhere, needing to touch her everywhere.
But her hands stopped me at her waist.
"No," she whispered against my lips. "We don't have time for anything more."
Disappointment shot through me. "We don't?"
"No. We can't stay in here any longer. I've just been wanting to do that."
"Oh. Well, I... I..." Being speechless was new to me, but leave it to Dee to make me lose my mind and words.
One more kiss on my cheek, and then she pulled away. "Wait a few minutes to come out. Okay?"
"Yeah. Sure. Of course."
"And in the meantime, you can turn the lights on and make sure everything in here is still in order."
"Damn, boss. Okay."
Somehow in the dark, I managed to give her a good smack on the ass, making her giggle as she left, letting in some light as she opened the door, giving me just a glimpse of the smile on her face and those lips— those lips —that had just been wrapped around my cock.
Holy shit. For as long as I lived, I would never forget this moment. Never.