11. Lucian
11
LUCIAN
S uddenly, coming into the office was a lot more interesting.
I looked forward to it in the days following the retreat, which even I could admit was a success. Not that I cared about in-jokes or reminiscing over a marathon game of air hockey. Let the oblivious worker bees distract themselves with that.
All that interested me was the blonde who sat outside my office, someone much more pleasant to look at than my father. I’d spent enough time watching her while pretending otherwise to observe more than her beauty. She always had time for anyone who happened to pass by with a question or a problem. I had no idea how she managed to maintain her level of productivity while playing mother hen to her roost.
“You’re in a good mood this morning.” Dad narrowed his eyes at me over his cup of coffee during our Wednesday meeting. “That retreat must’ve done wonders for you. You came back here a changed man.”
He always had to take it a step too far. “ I've gone from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Prepare to be dazzled by my transformation.”
He waved me off dismissively. “All I’m saying is, I like what I see. I’m impressed. And the feedback from the retreat has been nothing but positive.”
It was a funny thing. Most people would’ve been glad to have their father praise them like that. I hadn’t exactly given him much of a reason to until now. The do-nothing son who coasted by in college and saw enough of the corporate world during his summer internships to know he wanted nothing to do with it. The son who showed no interest in controlling the family empire and laughed when he heard the word legacy being thrown around.
The ultimate disappointment…
… until now.
I should have been happy and pleased with myself, but instead, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“And I’m pleased to see you turning into a good leader,” he rambled on. “I understand you performed first aid on that girl who was injured on the hiking trail.”
“First aid?” I scoffed. “She twisted her ankle. I carried her back to the lodge.”
“You’re a hero around here,” he concluded.
This was torture. If I looked like a good leader during the retreat, it was all thanks to Ivy. Making up for the shit I pulled, trying to make things right between us. For the first time in a long time, I’d met someone whose esteem I would like to earn.
“I don’t need the praise,” I told him, taking a bite of my bagel. “And I don’t need to be anybody’s hero. You know how stories get inflated if given enough time.”
“Fine, have it your way.” He pursed his lips the way he always did when there was something on his mind. “Have you given any thought to finding a serious relationship?”
I could have used a little warning. That way, I wouldn’t have come close to choking. He waited until I was able to swallow my food before continuing, “It’s something that’s been weighing heavily on your mother’s mind lately.”
A deep gulp of my coffee washed down what nearly killed me before I said, “I thought these meetings were to discuss work, not my personal life.”
“This is the only time during the week I’m sure I’ll be able to get a few words in with you. You know how busy I am.” I grunted. “She knows we meet on Wednesday mornings and told me to bring it up. What, are you suggesting I don’t do something your mom ordered?”
For the first time all morning, we shared a genuine laugh. Mom could go from zero to nuclear in no time flat, completely tranquil to burning with anger. Dad had always loved her feistiness. So did I.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I admitted. “It’s not something I’ve given much thought to.”
“Which is why your mom wants to think about it for you.”
“No, thank you.” Dad chuckled, but I didn’t, staring at him so he would know I was serious. “I don’t need anyone thinking about that for me. I’m not going to be forced into a relationship with a woman just because I’ve passed a certain number of birthdays. These things have to happen on their own, don’t they? Just like you and Mom?”
“We’re only worried you’re missing out by playing the field.”
Of all times for a familiar ice blonde head to fill my imagination. Playing the field had led to that first night with Ivy, and I would never regret it. Flirting at the bar, getting turned on by her wickedly quick wit. The ultimate foreplay. Would I ever meet another woman who could keep up with me in and out of bed?
Why the fuck was I thinking about her now?
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Mom will have her grandkids someday.” For once, I was glad for the distraction of business. Sliding a handful of printed reports his way, I explained, “The latest analytics from our online publications in the Midwest. Clicks to our sites are going through the roof, and ad revenue along with it. Ivy and I have been focusing on the social media accounts of those publications, driving traffic that way. No clickbait,” I added before he could ask. “Well-crafted posts that have people wanting to learn more.”
His eyes widened when he compared this month’s numbers to last month’s. “The girl’s got a good head on her shoulders. I’m glad you two are learning to work together. She’s been a good influence on you.”
He had no idea what a good influence she was. I couldn’t find it in me to be irritated at his condescension when he was right for once. “I hate to eat and run, but I have a quick catch-up session with the social media team.”
“Don’t let me stop you. And son,” he added on my way out. “Be sure to give Ivy my thanks. She’s doing great work.”
“I will.” Another strange thing. Last week at this time, I would have gone burning hot and boiled with resentment if I heard him say that. Maybe it was seeing the results of her expertise at work that helped me get over those early issues.
Or maybe it was her.
The woman herself. I found her at her desk, but instead of sitting behind her computer and typing furiously, she was giggling with a few of the other women while they drank iced coffee. She made it look effortless, getting along with everybody and relating to them instead of sitting at her desk, acting like her time was too important to be bothered with trivial things. Was that a skill she could teach me, or was it innate?
She didn’t notice me at first, giving me a chance to admire her beauty without her awareness. Her glowing skin, a smile that lit up the room. Her throaty laughter had me grinning by the time I closed in on them. “Good morning,” I greeted, my gaze lingering on her a bit longer than the others.
“Good morning, Mr. Diamond,” one of the women chirped.
“Come on, now. It’s Lucian.” I turned to Ivy, who was now chewing her lip like she was nervous. “I shared the latest analytics with the big guy, and he’s very impressed. Let’s take five minutes after the social media team meeting to catch up.”
“Sure thing.” She was a good actress. No one would know she held onto the back of my head while I buried my face in her pussy over the weekend. I was twitching in my shorts by the time I reached my desk, where I had to push those memories aside to prepare for the meeting. If I couldn’t compartmentalize what was becoming an obsession, I didn’t have a chance of succeeding around here.
What a shame I could barely keep my thoughts off Ivy long enough to get my shit together. We had kept it professional since the weekend at her insistence. I could play the game her way for a while if it meant that much to her.
Though I hoped she didn’t expect me to be a good boy indefinitely.
I should have been paying attention to social media best practices during the team meeting, but nothing interested me more than the same vanilla citrus perfume that had lingered on the pillows in our hotel room. She wore it now, the light scent playing on my senses while we sat side by side. I would never be able to smell it again without flashing back to that night. The thrill of breaking down her resistance. How she begged for me.
I shouldn’t, but I had to. Some things couldn’t be resisted, like the urge to nudge her thigh with mine under the table. She didn’t react at first, so I did it again, a bit more forcefully this time. No way could I be the only one almost panting, needing the reminder of our connection.
Still, she refused to respond. Only when I ran the side of my foot up her calf did she gasp, then covered it with a cough. I barely bit back a triumphant grin while she continued on with the next item on the agenda.
Note to self. Tell her to change perfumes if she expects us to ever get work done.
As the meeting finished, I turned to her, my need driving me. “I was hoping we could talk a little more about the headlines we’re using. There were a couple earlier this week that came a little close to clickbait for my taste.”
“By all means. Let’s talk about it.” Did she suspect my ulterior motives? She didn’t seem to, gathering her things and leading me out of the conference room without so much as a backward glance to tell me she understood where I was going with this. I didn’t give a shit about clickbait and had made that up on the spot for an excuse to be near her.
When we reached my office, I had her close the door while I went to the desk and pressed the button to frost the glass and hide us from everyone else. “Hold on,” she murmured, shaking her head but wearing a little grin. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Admiring the way her sky-blue pantsuit accentuated her tight body and made her gray eyes look almost blue. “Giving us a little privacy so we can have a meeting, Poison,” I replied, rounding the desk and coming to a stop behind my high-backed chair.
“This isn’t supposed to be a meeting.” She set her tablet and notepad on my desk, folding her arms while wearing a disapproving expression probably intended to chastise me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“There’s a lot of things I want to do now that you mention it.”
“This is dangerously close to workplace harassment. You know that, right?”
“Try to say that without smiling the way you are, and I might actually believe you.” I jerked my chin toward my MacBook sitting open on the desk. “And for your information, I pulled up the posts in question. I wanted you to take a look at them and get your advice on my gut reaction.”
Swiveling the chair around, I gestured for her to have a seat. “Really. Take a look.”
She arched an eyebrow, eyes narrowed, but slowly walked around and lowered herself into the chair. Once she pulled up to the computer, I stood beside her, staring down her blouse while she reviewed what I had left on the screen.
“You smell incredible, Poison,” I whispered, leaning down, letting my nose brush her ear. Her only reaction was a shiver.
Everything about her fascinated me, drew me in, and made me want more. Her glistening hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her smooth, almost glowing skin. The hint of visible cleavage when I looked down her blouse again. I was only human, and I had been a good boy all this time, including the ride back from the Catskills on Sunday. I hadn’t suggested she come back to my place, though I wanted to. I respected her wishes. “We have to be careful. Don’t assume this is ever going to happen again. This can’t be a thing, Lucian. It’s too complicated.”
There were limits to my strength.
“I see what you mean.” She turned her face toward mine, and my gaze fell to her mouth. It would’ve taken nothing to kiss her and taste those sweet lips. Time stretched between us until she blinked and cleared her throat, then glanced back toward the screen. “Users are savvy. They won’t fall for blatant clickbait. I’ll need to send the links out to the rest of the team so they can see the direct correlation between this kind of language and poor performance.”
“I agree. Though I’ll send it to the team.”
“Have it your way.” A brief smile passed over her glossy lips. “Good job identifying this.”
“Thank you.” I leaned in again, breathing deep, this time tracing the line of her jaw with my mouth. A feather-light touch, no pressure at all, but a moan stirred in her throat. “Since I’ve been such a good boy, do I get a reward?”
“Lucian, we talked about this.” She was only resisting on principle, not because she wanted to. I heard the weakness in her voice.
“About me putting my hand down your pants and touching you? Did we talk about that?” My hand grazed her thigh, creeping higher. Her frustrated little groan only egged me on.
“It’s been days. I just need a fix.”
“Don’t you have a shower in that fancy private bathroom?” She nodded toward the room in question. “Maybe you should step inside and turn on the cold tap.”
“Only if you join me.”
“You’re the worst,” she concluded with a sigh. “But no, thank you. Maybe some other time when we aren’t in the middle of the workday.”
“You’re not a lot of fun.” I groaned and pouted when she got out of the chair, straightening her suit but wearing a coy grin. The little tease. She loved knowing how she turned me on.
Eyes twinkling, she replied, “I think we both know that’s not true.”
“You’ve got me there.” I took a seat, groaning at the pressure behind my zipper. “But I think I fucked myself over.”
She glanced down at my bulge, arching an eyebrow. “I am not sucking you off at your desk,” she whispered. “So don’t bother asking. You’re the one who got yourself in that position.”
A sharp knock on the glass brought an end to all of this. “Lucian? I only need a minute.”
Dad.
Fuck.
Ivy’s eyes bulged as she scrambled to pick up her notepad. I pulled the chair closer to the desk, hiding the erection tenting my pants.
The door opened before I had a chance to say a word, and Dad came striding in. “Oh. Excuse me.” He offered Ivy a smile which she returned. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Then why did you walk in? “We were only going over a few things from last week. What can I do for you?” I asked Dad while Ivy pretended to take notes.
“I wanted to let you know your mom insists on getting together for dinner on Friday night. I would have sent you a text, but this way, you can’t pretend you didn’t get the message.” Dad winked at Ivy. “Not that he would ever do such a thing.”
“I’ll make sure there’s room in my schedule,” I promised. He really needed to get out of here.
“I have meetings in Philadelphia and will be there through tomorrow. See you on Friday.” He made a quick exit, and I sank back in the chair, blowing out a sigh of relief.
Ivy was trembling as she dropped into one of the chairs across from me. “That was too close. What if I hadn’t stopped you? He could’ve walked straight in on us.”
“He didn’t.”
“But he could have,” she whispered. “That’s why I didn’t want to do this here. I told you…”
“Enough of what you told me.” I stood, rounding the desk, coming to a stop in front of her. The erection had started to go down, so she wasn’t staring straight at my jutting cock. I was too concerned about the blank fear in her eyes and the tremor in her voice to continue this game. She had more to lose than I did.
“But you are right,” I decided. “We shouldn’t do this here.”
She was too smart to take that at face value. Folding her arms, she asked, “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting a thing, Poison. I’m telling you you’re coming to my apartment tomorrow night. I would say tonight, but I have plans, though you could come along,” I suggested without thinking. “You’re friends with Rose, right? She’ll be there.”
“No, I don’t think so. But thank you.”
She was doing me a favor by turning me down. I was so desperate to be with her that I would have suggested anything so long as it meant being together. I was becoming addicted to everything about her, mind and body, and enough was never enough.
I was wading through dangerous shit, in other words.
“Tomorrow night. My apartment. You’ll find my address in the employee files.” I inclined my head toward the door. “I’m sure you have plenty to do now. I won’t keep you from it.”
She eyed me warily as she stood, heading to the door. She would show up. I had no doubt. She might fight with herself, but part of her was smart enough to know she couldn’t deny the obvious.
There was no staying away from each other.