36. Cassidy
CASSIDY
I was deep in concentration, poring over a stack of environmental impact reports on my desk. The gentle hum of the office faded into the background as I scribbled notes in the margins, my mind fully engaged in dissecting the legal implications of each paragraph.
The sudden buzz of my desk phone jolted me out of my focus. I blinked, momentarily disoriented as I shifted gears from the world of regulations and statutes to the present moment.
“Yes?” I answered, my voice a bit raspy.
“Ms. Hayes,” chirped Alice, our receptionist. There was an unmistakable note of excitement in her tone. “There’s someone here to see you.”
I frowned, quickly scanning my mental calendar. I hadn’t scheduled any appointments for this afternoon. “I don’t have anyone on my schedule, Alice. Who is it?”
“Well,” she drawled, her voice practically vibrating with barely contained gossip. “It’s a very handsome gentleman. Tall, blonde. Says his name is Harle?”
My heart stopped. Then started again at triple speed. Harle. Here. At my office. Oh god.
“Ms. Hayes? Should I send him away?” Alice’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“No!” I cleared my throat, trying to sound more professional. “No, it’s fine. I’ll... I’ll come out.”
I stood on shaky legs, smoothing down my pencil skirt with trembling hands. What was he doing here? This wasn’t part of our routine. Harle was supposed to be safe at his cabin, not here in my professional world.
I checked my reflection in my phone screen, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. My cheeks were already flushed, and I hadn’t even seen him yet.
The walk to reception had never felt so long. Each click of my heels against the floor echoed my thundering heartbeat. Left foot: what. Right foot: does. Left foot: he. Right foot: want?
As I rounded the corner, I saw him.
Oh. Holy. Hell.
My heart leapt, blood rushing in my ears as heat pooled low in my belly. My system had gone straight into overdrive. Like Pavlov’s horn bag. Turned on at the merest sight of him.
He stood there in dark jeans and a navy blue henley that made his eyes pop, looking completely out of place among the stuffy law office decor. In his hands, he held a bouquet of wildflowers, all sunset oranges and pretty purples.
He flashed that disarming smile of his. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything important. I just wanted to see where you worked.”
I glanced around, acutely aware of Alice watching us. The way she practically vibrated with curiosity made my cheeks burn hotter.
“Of course. Why don’t we step into my office?”
I led Harle down the hallway, hyper-aware of his presence behind me. Knowing he was checking out my ass. The scent of his cologne, mingled with the fragrance of the flowers, made my head spin slightly.
My office suddenly felt impossibly small. The space I’d always considered my sanctuary, my place of complete control, now felt charged with an electricity I couldn’t contain.
As we entered, I turned to face him, ready to ask what this surprise visit was really about. But before I could speak, Harle gently closed the door and locked it with a soft click, then placed the flowers carefully on top of the nearby filing cabinet.
My breath caught in my throat as he turned back to me, his eyes dark with an intensity that made my knees weak.
“Compliance check.”
“Wh-what?” My voice came out as barely more than a whisper, my heart suddenly thundering against my ribs.
“You know the rules, Cass.” His voice was low, dangerous. Promising. “No underwear. Even when you’re away from home. I’m just here to make sure you’re obeying them.” His eyes traveled slowly down my body, making my skin tingle. “Take your jacket off.”
Oh. My. God.
I stood frozen, my mind spinning between ‘this is my office’ and ‘holy hell, yes.’ Through the door, I could hear the muffled sounds of the workday continuing. Phones ringing, copier humming, the distant murmur of voices. My professional world carried on, completely unaware of what was happening behind my locked door.
Harle raised his brow, a challenge in his gaze. The corner of his mouth lifted in that knowing smirk that always made my insides turn to liquid fire.
Fuck it.
My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for the buttons of my suit jacket. The soft whisper of wool against silk seemed impossibly loud in the charged silence between us. I slipped it off my shoulders, draping it carefully over my chair.
“Good girl.” His praise sent a shiver down my spine. “Now undo the shirt.”
The weight of his gaze was almost physical as I worked each button free. One by one. Slowly. The cool air of my office kissed each newly exposed inch of skin, raising goosebumps in its wake. When I reached the last button, I hesitated.
“All the way, Cassidy.”
I swallowed hard, undoing that final button. The silk parted, revealing my bare skin beneath. The rush of exposure, of being half-naked in my own office, sent my pulse skyrocketing.
Harle’s intense gaze burned into me as he closed the distance between us. He reached out, brushing the edges of my shirt aside with deliberate slowness. His fingertips barely grazed my skin, but it was enough to make my breath hitch.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, trailing one finger down my sternum. My nipples tightened in anticipation before he’d even touched them. When he finally cupped my breasts, running his thumbs over the sensitive peaks, I had to bite my lip to keep quiet.
“Very good,” Harle’s voice was rough with approval. “Now turn around slowly.”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as I complied.
“Lift your skirt,” he commanded softly.
My breath caught in my throat. This was insane. We were in my office, for God’s sake. Alice was probably still wondering about the handsome man with flowers. And here I was, about to...
“Cassidy.” His voice held that edge of authority that made my knees weak. “I won’t ask twice.”
With shaking hands, I gripped the hem of my pencil skirt and slowly began to raise it. The fabric inched up my thighs, revealing more and more skin. I heard Harle’s sharp intake of breath behind me.
“Higher,” he growled.
I bit my lip, lifting the skirt until it bunched around my waist. The cool air caressed my bare ass, and I felt utterly exposed. Vulnerable. And God help me, incredibly turned on.
“Perfect,” Harle breathed. “You’ve been such a good girl, following the rules.”
I heard him move closer, his presence looming behind me. His large, warm hand came to rest on my hip, and I couldn’t suppress the small gasp that escaped my lips.
With his other hand in the middle of my back, he pushed me forward, so I was leaning over my desk. My hands splayed across the polished wood surface, right on top of those environmental impact reports I’d been studying earlier.
The sound of his belt buckle being undone nearly made me whimper.
“Are you going to say no to me, Cassidy?” His voice was rough with desire. “Are you going to use your one free pass?”
“No.” God no. Absolutely fucking no way. I was burning for him, aching, desperate. I had to grit my teeth when he rubbed the tip of his cock against my entrance.
“Fucking drenched for me, darlin’.”
“Mmm.” It was all I could manage. Any actual words had long since abandoned me.
I gripped the edge of my desk, my knuckles turning white as Harle teased me mercilessly. The anticipation was almost unbearable, every nerve ending in my body on high alert. A stack of papers slipped to the floor, but I couldn’t have cared less about environmental impact reports right now.
“Please,” I whimpered, not even caring how desperate I sounded.
Without warning, Harle thrust into me, filling me completely in one smooth motion. I had to press my lips together to stifle the moan that threatened to escape. The last thing I needed was for my coworkers to hear what was happening in my office.
His hand came up to cover my mouth, and thank God for that, because the sounds I wanted to make were definitely not office-appropriate. He set a punishing pace, his hips snapping against mine with barely contained urgency. His other arm was around me, holding me in place as he drove into me again and again.
The thrill of potentially being caught, combined with the delicious friction of Harle moving inside me, had me rocketing towards the edge embarrassingly fast. I could feel the tension coiling tighter and tighter, my inner walls clenching around him.
Harle leaned forward, his chest pressed against my back as he whispered in my ear, “Come for me, Cassidy. Now.”
His words, coupled with a particularly deep thrust, sent me over the edge. My vision went white as waves of pleasure crashed over me, my body shuddering uncontrollably. If it weren’t for Harle’s hand over my mouth and his arm around my waist holding me up, I’m pretty sure I would have screamed and collapsed.
Before I came down from my high, I felt Harle’s rhythm falter, his breathing becoming ragged. With a low groan muffled against my shoulder, he buried himself deep inside me, his body jerking as he found his own release.
We stood there for a moment, both of us panting, our bodies still joined. The reality of what we’d just done began to sink in as I heard Alice’s voice floating down the hallway, talking to someone about their appointment. A mix of emotions washed over me - exhilaration, embarrassment, and a touch of panic.
But underneath it all was something else. Something that felt dangerously like happiness.
Harle slowly pulled out of me, and I bit my lip to stifle a whimper at the loss. I heard the rustle of fabric as he adjusted his clothing, and I took that as my cue to do the same. My legs felt like jelly as I straightened up, smoothing down my skirt with trembling hands.
“That was...” I trailed off, unable to find the right words. I turned to face Harle, my cheeks burning as I caught my reflection in the window. My hair was a mess, my blouse wrinkled, and there was no mistaking the thoroughly ravished look on my face.
He looked as composed as ever, damn him, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he watched me try to put myself back together. “Unexpected?”
I let out a shaky laugh, fumbling with my shirt buttons. “To say the least.” I glanced at the door, suddenly very aware of where we were. “I can’t believe we just did that. Here. In my office.” I looked down at the scattered papers on the floor. “Oh god, those reports...”
Harle stepped closer, batting my trembling hands away from my buttons to fasten them himself. “You were perfect, Cass. Following the rules, even at work.”
I swallowed hard, my body still thrumming with residual pleasure. “I didn’t expect you to check up on me like this.”
“That’s the point,” he said, his voice low and husky as he smoothed my collar. “You never know when I might decide to inspect.”
The implication sent a shiver down my spine. I opened my mouth to respond, but a sharp knock on the door made me jump about three feet in the air.
Harle flashed me a devilish grin as he reached down to gather the fallen papers. The sight of him picking up environmental impact reports from where they’d scattered was surreal enough to make me have to stifle a slightly hysterical giggle.
“One second!” My squeaky, squeaky voice was always going to give me away.
With my shirt safely buttoned, I hastily grabbed my jacket and threw it on. Just as I was reaching for the door handle to flick the lock, Harle snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I raised my eyes to his and what I saw there stilled the breath in my lungs. There was so much warmth, so much... God, I didn’t know what it was, but it made my stomach flip and my knees turn to jelly.
“See you tonight, darlin’.” He brushed the lightest, sweetest kiss across my lips and stepped back.
“Okay. Um. Yeah. See you tonight.”
Then he opened the door and I fucking hoped Alice couldn’t tell what we’d just done in here.