Chapter 36
Emma
I lost. Bad.
I didn’t doubt that Miles’s charm, and his arrogance would be at a hundred. Toying with him about his game was fun, but victory was in his maple gaze when he looked me over and accepted.
I was confident, but I’m also no fool. I spent a good two hours pleasuring myself to build up the endurance to resist him, to fortify my pussy at all costs. My victory dance was ready. I can’t two-step to save my life, but I had everything in place.
The insulated structure for a private dining experience on the balcony.
Candles and champagne.
The spicy fried oysters he says are “good as shit.”
My game was solid, guaranteed to force Miles to kneel before my five-inch heels. That was until he walked through the restaurant doors in an all-black suit that bent to the hard planes of his body and excited my senses.
Our eyes met in the mirror over the bar, where I waited for him as he crossed the dining room and stood next to me without uttering a word. The fragrance of our arousal coated the air between us. I faced him head-on and held back a grin as his gaze traveled over my face to the vegan leather dress painting my curves. I was at the home stretch until flashbacks of him between my legs broke my concentration.
It was a mistake to allow my eyes to slide down the outline of Miles’s back muscles. The slow burn crawling up my throat was a warning I ignored as I got lost in his profile, which came with a fresh fade and a trimmed goatee.
My disloyal knees buckled when I stepped off the stool, earning a side-eye and a twisted smirk. “That was fast,” was all Miles said before we went upstairs, fogged up the plastic panels, and ate like we didn’t test the table’s weight limits.
Today’s walk of shame has a new meaning, and it comes with a side of salami.
I swallow what’s left of my pride and smile at Michelle. “Hello. I’m here to see Mr. Walker,” I tell the receptionist.
The phone on her desk rings. “One moment, please,” she says, turning her attention to the call. Her brown eyes widen, and she bites her lips to keep from laughing. Miles . “Here.” She passes me the phone.
“You’ll kiss my ass twice before I say it,” I blurt. Michelle is no stranger to our banter.
Miles’s laughter tickles my cheeks, but I remain strong. “So testy on a Monday. What’s wrong with saying you’re here to see a winner?” His arrogant smile shines through the silence.
Michelle pretends she’s not eavesdropping and mindlessly clicks her computer mouse. You only need a day around Miles to get caught up in his foolery. Said fool has me on the phone when he’s feet away.
I hang up, tell Michelle goodbye, and set off down the hall. Miles is in the conference room, leaning back in a chair next to the door. His arms are behind his head too big for his body with that stupid smirk.
“Put those claws away, kitten, and let me look at you.”
He chuckles at my sigh. I adjust my jeans and the picnic basket hanging off my arm. As the loser, I have to do what he wants. I expected some type of sexual favor, but he surprised me with his in-office lunch request. Why I’m in jeans when he’s in a white button-down shirt and olive slacks remains a mystery. I paired my denim with an ivory blouse and a turquoise blazer that matches my heels. Other than naked, this is as dressed down as I’ll get.
I walk into the conference room and drop the basket in front of him. Miles pulls me to his lap when I try to sit next to him. I protest but still at the squeeze to my waist.
“Chill,” he says against my pendant earring. His voice is low, deeper than the playful tone that goaded me on the phone at the reception desk.
Miles reaches around me and opens the basket, adjusting me off his now erect penis. I roll my hips and smile at his groan. “Don’t think I won’t fuck you in this conference room. Emma!” He nips at my neck.
His playfulness is a breath of fresh air. It’s been fun to let loose and relax, something I rarely do without a vacation. I enjoy pleasure, but until him it was all work and no play unless I needed a sexual fix.
A grape presses to my lips. I suck it into my mouth, along with the fingers holding it. Miles hisses but continues to feed me. He never misses a moment to touch me or take care of me. I’ve done the latter myself for so long, but I enjoy the attention.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Miles switches to a cube of mozzarella cheese, and I swallow.
“Thinking I could get used to this.” I accept another piece.
Miles pulls me closer. “Funny. I was thinking the same thing,” he says. He studies me before he shakes away the thought. “You should make more bets you know you’ll lose.” A grin spreads across his face at my slap to his chest.
I could get lost staring at his face. The way his eyes soften in appraisal and his lips seek mine. I’m not into intimate displays of affection, but I give in to the overwhelming sensation of kissing him.
Miles’s lips are gentle. He anchors me to him, submitting to my tongue exploring his mouth. He’s a tornado force who savors when I take the lead. I lean into the hardness of his chest and drag my nails against the textured hairs of his goatee.
He sucks on my top lip before rolling his tongue over my bottom one. “Feel better?”
I kiss his smile with my own. My “yes” comes with a sigh—not from the blocks of meetings that will take up today and tomorrow until my team heads to Big Sur on Wednesday. My stress level is at an all-time high, but it’s manageable because of the man who demanded a picnic lunch to pull me out of the chaos awaiting me back at the office.
“Good.” His thumb rubs circles into the small of my back, taking away tension with every swipe. I need an appointment with my masseuse but have no time. Miles pecks my cheek and holds me when I burrow against the side of his neck. “I gotta handle a few things, but I’ll meet you up there Wednesday night. Don’t forget to pack more than heels.”
How I let him talk me into camping while we’re up there is a testament to the magic between his legs. He’s charming, but charisma alone isn’t enough for me to rough it in the wilderness or wherever he’ll have us staying.
Laughter rumbles up his throat at my groan. “Relax, bougie,” he says in a tone to taunt my disinterest in bug spray and peeing outside. “It’s part of the resort. I’mma take care of your ass and have you skipping home the same way you’re about to skip back to your office.”
Miles stands with me in his arms, bridal style. My hands wrap around his neck. “Where are we going?”
The answer is the private bathroom in the conference room. He closes the door and places me on top of the granite countertop. His hands are firm on either side of me as he presses his nose into my neck.
“I can feed you this meat or eat my dessert. Which one do you want? You’re not going back to work stressed either way.”
My lips find his. Miles leans into my center and rocks his hips, teasing me through my jeans. I reach for his belt, grab his length straining against his pants, and pull out a groan at my squeeze. “Take care of me, please.”
Miles’s expression softens at my request. Yes, I want dick delivery, but I also want…more.
His inhale is sharp, his voice now a murmur. “I always will, kitten.”
I lose track of how many times I come. We leave the bathroom, him with a satisfied smirk and me with frizzy hair, a cramp in my leg, and shaky knees. He and I finish lunch in the conference room before I head back to my office, grinning and with a pep in my step.
My eyes cross in front of my computer screen. It’s a fight to stay awake and not pack up and leave the office early.
“You have a call on line two.”
“Thank you, Mal,” I say to the intercom and hit the button to take it. “This is Emma.”
“Is that happiness I detect?”
Any hint of a smile drains from my face at Carter’s voice. It’s smooth with hints of a pretentious asshole waiting to piss me off.
“Unless you want to place a sizable order for lace panties, why are you on my phone?”
“Testy.” A deep rumble of laughter vibrates down the line. “How are you, Emma?”
“Busy.”
“That you are. We haven’t seen you at any of John’s campaign events.”
We .
Carter is so far up my family’s ass it’s a wonder they don’t claim him as a dependent. I was over the Illuminati known as DC politics when I was little, and now I’m a grown-ass woman.
I wasted so much time trying to be worthy of my family when they never deserved my time. I have people in my life who love me and support me without conditions. I don’t have to chase their affection in order to feel it.
I am enough. It’s a full sentence and requires no explanation.
“I didn’t feel like it,” I say honestly. “My life is here, in California. I am not a prop to use for political polls. My father signed up to sing and dance for campaign donors. I didn’t.”
“Would your act of defiance have something to do with Miles?”
That gets my attention and hikes a brow. “Are you spying on me?”
“Looking out for you. One of us has to since you’re not thinking clearly.” Carter sighs. “There’s something not right about him, and I’m not talking about Newark. I asked around, and it appears your friend has been cozy around Washington.”
My face twists. “And? Is that a crime?” Miles has clients all over the place. That he has some in DC isn’t surprising, given he has a home in the area.
A home you haven’t seen.
“He’s dangerous, Em. His résumé appears clean, but he’s hiding something.”
I don’t know the people Miles associates with. I always thought military or mafia, which might be true. But he never served and doesn’t have any ties to organized crime as far as I know. The secrecy around his job has been a running joke—like Tommy from Martin . I never asked questions because I never needed to know.
Does that mean he’s dangerous?
“You’ll find anything to make an issue out of, Carter. Miles is working with a congressperson; he can’t be that much of a threat. Just admit you’re jealous. I never brought anyone around my family, and it pisses you off he’s still here.”
Carter takes a long pause before he speaks. “What better way to bring down a politician than to date a senator’s daughter? I’m not saying he’s a spy or anything ridiculous like that, but he’s too cozy with people around us and clearly does more than assist with malware. You say you’ve known him for years. Why did he choose to pursue something with you now? It doesn’t add up, and I want to keep this family safe.
“You’re important to me, Emma. You were always mine. Had I known you were ready to entertain something more, I would’ve made my move. We’re perfect. You know it, and so do I.”
Salt air from the ocean tangles with the strands of my loose bun blowing in the wind on the silent ride home.
Carter’s call was short. Just long enough for him to toss a grenade and clear the area. Miles and I open ourselves up the more time we spend together, but there are still missing pieces to his life, answers to lots of questions I haven’t asked.
I pull into my garage, next to the Audi Miles is renting while he’s here. We haven’t discussed when he’ll return to the East Coast. Having someone in my space required an adjustment—to his stomping, loud conversations, and morning shits too foul for words—but I haven’t felt the urge to dismember him…yet.
He’s actually a good housemate. He’s clean, keeps the fridge stocked, and weaves into my life without wanting to overpower it. His thumbprint around my home becomes more visible each day.
Like the stainless-steel grill and hammock on my balcony that weren’t there this morning.
“Hey, baby!”
Miles waves with tongs in his hand. He’s barefoot in a pair of low-hung sweats, a black apron I don’t own covering his shirtless chest. The muscles in his biceps flex as he flips whatever is on the grill.
“Hope you’re hungry,” he says, his full attention on the dinner he’s making. His gaze flicks to me and my open mouth with a chuckle. “I can feed you this dick the way you got that jaw ready.”
I kick off my heels with a devilish grin. “And have the neighbors hear your giggle?” Miles groans at my hand over his sweats to grip his length. “I’m down if you are.” I lick his ear and bite.
He shudders but bumps me away with his ass. I fall into an outdoor chair with a cackle and my hands up. “We don’t speak about that outside of the house,” he grits through his teeth, the tongs pointed at me. “It only happens with you and that voodoo mouth.”
“ Voodoo mouth ?” I bust out laughing.
Miles adjusts himself and looks around for signs of nosy neighbors. “Exactly what I said. Got me sounding like a cartoon character.”
“You know you like this mouth.”
He grunts, waves me off, and turns back to the grill. “Take your ignorant ass back inside so I can feed you. Dinner is almost done.”
I set the table, and we eat the steak and lobster Miles grilled to perfection along with some vegetables. Two hours later, we’re in the hammock to watch the sunset. This thing takes up most of the deck space, but it’s cozy.
I’m nestled against his warm chest, now free of the apron he tossed in the laundry basket.
“Thank you for cooking,” I say up to the stars. He really outdid himself.
“You’re welcome, kitten.” His long fingers knead the achy muscles in my shoulders. “I’ll rub you down after we get upstairs.”
That’s another thing about living together: free massages. Yes, they come with his penis at the end, but who’s complaining about that? Since we confessed how we feel about each other, Miles sleeps with me. He converted his old bedroom into a home office with more screens than Best Buy and has the flexibility to do it because of his job.
His job.
My phone call Carter pops into my head. His conspiracy theories are out there, but that doesn’t mean questions are off the table.
“Carter called today,” I say haphazardly, running my fingers through his.
“Oh really? What did Crispin want?”
I snicker at his nickname. “To warn me about you. He says you’re dangerous and wonders why you’re in my life now when we’ve known each other so long.”
Miles tenses under me, the hardness of his muscles protruding into my skin. “And what do you think?” His tone is low and even.
“I told him he was full of it.”
“No, Em. I don’t give a damn what you said to him. I want to know what you think.”
My brows knit. “Are you mad?”
“I’m waiting for you to answer my question.”
It’s impossible to face him without risking us flipping over. I can’t see the disappointment on Miles’s face, but I hear it in his voice. We sit in silence, him wondering what more he needs to do to earn my trust and me searching for the right words.
“You’re not with me to uncover any government secrets.” Miles is sleeping with the wrong person if he wants to take down Washington. “But it would be nice to know more about what you do.”
I want to hold every piece of himself he stores away.
Miles adjusts me on his chest. He’s quiet, but the tension in his muscles eases. “I can’t get into details, but I take contracts to help gather information. I don’t assist extremists or entities that want to harm everyday people in pursuit of power. My data security company is my main focus. I won’t lie to you and say I don’t like to hack, but I’m not out here breaking into the Pentagon or some shit.”
The hammock picks up a steady sway. “And politicians?”
Miles snorts. “I work with people trying to tip the scales toward equity, not those who want a power grab. Zo is the main politician I’ve worked with, and he’ll be the last. I have no interest in them otherwise.”
“Yet you’re with a senator’s daughter.” Amusement shines in my tone.
Miles drops a kiss on my knuckles. “I’m with a woman who takes no shit and changes everything she touches for the better. You’re my quiet place, Em. Every day I spend with you feels like home.”
I let my tears fall freely. Miles isn’t the only one changing. He exposes me in ways that should frighten me but don’t. “You are my safe space.”
We try to make love in the hammock but bust our ass in the process. I knew jeans were trouble.