Chapter 34
“I can’t believe I ate so much.” Derek patted his stomach and groaned. “This is the second-best meal I’ve had since in DC.
Your mom’s is the best.”
“Maybe we’ll get a Filipino restaurant at Eden Center one day,” Zoe said wistfully. “There’s still a couple of vacant storefronts.”
“When was the last time you were at your boutique?” he asked suddenly.
Derek had been so engrossed in rehearsals that he hadn’t checked in with her about her business. They spent most of their
off hours discussing the musical or naked in bed. Sometimes both at the same time.
Zoe squinted as her lips silently counted the days. “Last Sunday night so I could finalize payroll for my staff.”
“You miss it?”
“A little. I have a great manager who’s taking care of everything while I’m at Prestige.”
“Of course you have everything under control. You basically ran our college costume shop whenever you were working on a production.”
“That was different. We were running on naivete and cold pizza,” she reminded him.
“Don’t forget the late-night energy drinks.”
“How did we ever drink that syrupy stuff?” Zoe shuddered as her face scrunched up in disgust.
“Says the lady who dumps a cup of sugar into her coffee.”
She giggled. How he loved that sound. If his only job in the world was to make her laugh every day, he’d die a happy man.
“Something Cheeky is different because there’s more balls to juggle. There’s staffing, inventory management, marketing—and
I have to work on next season’s designs in advance so my sewists can make them.”
“And I gave you one more,” he said with a twinge of guilt in his voice. “I had no clue it took so much to run a boutique.
I’m glad you agreed.”
Zoe frowned instead of agreeing with him. Did she regret accepting the gig? Maybe that was why she’d been quiet most of the
evening. He’d chalked it up to general tiredness after their long days.
“Did you talk to Greg after he found us together?” she blurted. The slight relief in her expression meant that she’d held
in the question all night.
Derek nodded. His light mood vanished. He’d avoided the topic because Zoe wouldn’t be happy about it.
“What did Gregzilla say?”
“Did you say Gregzilla?” Derek cocked his head but he couldn’t help but smile. His mentor had many similarities to a self-obsessed,
micromanaging bride-to-be.
“All the credit goes to Trixie.” Zoe smirked.
He chuckled. Trixie was a firecracker. But he supposed she had to be in order to be a sex educator and the show’s intimacy
coordinator. There was no way he’d be able to stand in front of people and talk about vibrators and lube.
Zoe poked his arm and waved her hand for him to continue.
“I went to his office after rehearsal. It was the strangest conver sation I’ve ever had with him.” He’d replayed it several times on the drive to Zoe’s, trying to figure out if he could’ve steered the conversation differently.
“Did he imply again that I’d gotten this job by sleeping with the director?”
“No. Yes. I mean.” Derek clamped his mouth shut. He was doing this all wrong, but Greg’s reaction had confused him.
“Tell me.”
“He invited me into his office and poured me a glass of fifteen-year-old Macallan,” he said quietly.
That glass of whisky in a crystal highball was etched in his brain cells. Greg had planned the entire disgusting conversation
before Derek set foot into that office.
“Are you kidding me?” Zoe sat up straight. Her nostrils flared. “So now you’re part of Greg’s little old boys’ club.”
“It doesn’t matter what he says, okay?” he snapped. “Sorry.”
Derek reached for her hand. She didn’t pull away from his touch like she had this afternoon. Her eyes were fiery with rage.
Her lips were pressed together as if she were holding back a string of curses.
“Fuck Greg and what he thinks about us,” he blurted.
Zoe raised an eyebrow at the anger in his words but she waited for him to continue.
“He’s part of an older generation who can’t see that theater needs to evolve to stay alive,” Derek said, more as a reminder
to himself than to Zoe.
“I’m having déjà vu.” She crossed her arms.
“This is not like what happened to you in college.”
“You said the same thing about Professor Richards when he asked me to do yellow face for his fundraiser.”
“Look, men like him and Greg know they’re becoming irrelevant and finally retiring.”
“Greg’s retiring?”
“In a few years, he told me.” Derek didn’t tell her how his mentor had dangled the artistic director position as—what—a bribe, motivation? He wasn’t sure. “But until then, we need to get ahead of him.”
“How?”
“We go public. About us.” He smiled hopefully.
“No,” she said flatly and crossed her arms.
“You didn’t even think about it.” Derek’s lips turned down into a frown.
“If we do this because of him, he’ll have won.”
“He wouldn’t be winning. It’s about what’s best for us and the production.” Derek didn’t point out that the reason she’d wanted
to keep things secret was because of his mentor.
“He’s going to use our relationship as a leveraging point to get what he wants on this show.” Derek’s head started to ache
at the “feedback” Greg would offer for the next few weeks.
“You waited until I was in a Filipino food coma before dropping this on me so I wouldn’t be as mad,” she accused.
“It didn’t work.” Derek shrugged. “Besides, my mom would smack me if I let this food go to waste.”
Her lips quirked, but she didn’t respond to the frugal practicality that his mother had ingrained in him. She had every right
to be upset about how Derek had handled the situation earlier. But they needed to revisit their decision to wait until opening
night to tell everyone about their relationship—before Greg did something even more idiotic.
He nudged her arms until her shoulders relaxed. He uncrossed her arms, taking her hands in his.
“Men like him thrive on power—or perceived power.” He intertwined his fingers through hers. “If we tell people, he’ll no longer
have that power over me. Over us.”
Zoe bit her lip as she considered his suggestion. Her eyes were dark and slightly unfocused, as if she were recalling how she’d stood up to their professor. And how he couldn’t—didn’t—stand up with her.
Derek’s stomach twisted. That was his second biggest regret from college. The first had been waiting ten years to tell her
how he felt about her.
“Can I think about it?” she finally asked.
“I’ve waited this long for you, so take the time that you need.” Derek’s easy smile hid his guilt about college. This time
would be different. He’d support her 100 percent however she needed.
“Thanks for understanding,” she said quietly.
“Is there something I can do to convince you?” He closed the distance between them. She smelled of coffee and lechón. Absolutely
fucking delectable.
“What did you have in mind?” she said with feigned innocence, but her eyes lit up.
He brushed her hair aside and caressed the soft curve of her neck. She inhaled sharply. He still couldn’t get over the fact
that a simple touch from him lit a spark in her.
“Maybe we can finish christening your couch.”
Zoe’s cheeks reddened. “Oh God, that was so embarrassing. I can’t believe I freaked out like that.”
“How about we make some new memories here then?”
“Like watching a movie?” Zoe teased as she reached for the television remote.
“Nope.” He kicked the remote out of her reach.
Zoe gasped. “Did you just kick—”
She squealed as he pushed her onto her back. Zoe tried to sit back up but he grabbed her forearms and pressed them against
the couch. Her fists were still clenched but her body relaxed into his hold. Her eyes were wide and willing.
“The best part about a fight is the make-up sex,” he said in a low voice.
Zoe’s eyes fluttered.
“I like this part,” she whispered as her fists uncurled.
He kissed the swell of her breasts as they rose and fell with the rhythm of her breath that he’d learned to associate with
her arousal. A flush grew on her neck and spread to her face as he pressed his lips on every bare inch of her chest and neck.
“Derek, kiss me,” she begged. She made a half-hearted attempt to pull her arm out of his grasp but he held firm. “Please.”
Her wide eyes implored him. Her lips parted as her pink tongue darted out.
“You’re fucking beautiful,” he exclaimed before he claimed her lips.
Her head rose up to meet him. Her lips were hot and hungry and—everything he needed. During rehearsal, he was the person everyone
came to for decisions. They asked so much of him that he’d barely found time to think.
Tonight he was the one who needed—what? To feel in control of his life when everything else was spinning faster and faster
around him.
“Zoe, I need you,” he growled.
She parted her lips in invitation for him to deepen their kiss. Her mouth was hot and soft and tasted of sweetness and coffee.
“I’m all yours,” she said between their kisses.
Zoe had spent every night since the meet and greet in his apartment, where they spent half the night naked and intertwined.
In his bed, he’d been happy to let her lead their lovemaking. But tonight, something had changed.
He groaned against her mouth as heat flooded his body. His cock grew hard and insistent for her body. Not yet. He needed to
feel her, skin to skin.
Derek released her arms so he could pull off her tunic. She didn’t have on a bra. Her light brown nipples peaked, as if commanding him to—
“Glorious,” he breathed before taking one of them in his mouth.
He was rewarded with a moan as Zoe’s body arched to meet his lips. Derek rolled her other nipple between his fingers, feeling
her body shudder as he increased the pressure on both. One with his mouth and the other with his fingers.
She reached down and slipped her hand under the waistband of her leggings to pull them off, but he stopped her.
“You’re impatient tonight,” he teased as he pulled her hands away in order to peel off the damned leggings himself. She lifted
her hips to help him.
“So what?” she retorted as she reached for the hem of his T-shirt. “A woman can’t want to feel her man’s cock inside her?”
Suddenly his jeans were too tight. He wanted to rip off the leggings and sink his dick deep into her wet, tight—he closed
his eyes and bit his lip. He took deep breaths until his head—the one up top—was in control.
No, not yet. Tonight he wanted to be a little selfish and in control. He wanted to kiss and caress every inch of her body
and make her beg to come. That was what he wanted. What he needed.
“How about a game?” he suggested before taking the other breast in his mouth. He swirled his tongue in tight then wide circles
around her nipple.
“Right now?” she squeaked. Another moan escaped her lips as she held his head against her chest.
He pulled away to take in her flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. Her lips were swollen and slightly parted. For a moment
he imagined those lips wrapped around his—wait. He wanted to focus on her pleasure first.
“Do you still remember how you tried to teach me Vietnamese using bad pick-up lines?” He grinned.
“Are you freaking serious right now?” This time her groan was one of frustration.
“For each line you complete, I’ll give you what you want.”
“That’s easy enough,” she said confidently. Her competitive streak was so hot.
“Don’t be so sure.” He nudged her knees open and slid down. The scent of her arousal almost drove him mad, but he’d challenged
her and Zoe never backed down from a challenge. He licked the seam of her outer lips.
“Oh, fuck,” she growled.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not a pick-up line.”
“Jerk.” Her tone was playful not angry.
“Let’s start easy. Is your last name Nguyen?”
“Because the two of us...”
He dragged his tongue up and dove into her until he found her clit.
“Would be a Nguyen Nguyen,” Zoe cried out.
“Good girl.” He drew the letters of his praise words around her clit until she was gasping to catch her breath.
Derek pulled away slightly to ask, “Do you like ph ? ?”
“Cause I think about you twenty-ph ? seven.” She rolled her eyes. “I’d forgotten how cheesy—”
Keeping his eyes on her face, he pressed the flat of his tongue against her. Now she had a better reason for her eyes to roll
back.
“You’re so good at this.” He rubbed circles around her clit as he tried to remember another one. “It’s always bò kho and th ? t kho but...”
Zoe’s eyes were half-closed as she became lost in his touch. He pulled away to encourage her to finish the line.
“But,” she said breathlessly, “but when are you gonna kho me yours?”
“Fuck, you’re making me so hungry,” he growled as he covered her clit with his mouth and sucked.
Zoe moaned and writhed under him. Seeing her fall apart under him was so fucking sexy.
“Derek,” she gasped. “I’m going to come.”
“One more and you get an A-plus. Are you bún bò hu ? ?” He slipped two fingers inside her. Fuck. She was so wet, so soft. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait—
“Cause I’m about to come your way,” Zoe screamed. Her muscles clenched around his fingers as her orgasm began.
“Yes, baby. Come for me.” He took her clit back in his mouth and stroked it with his tongue.
Zoe bucked against him. She wrapped her legs around his head, riding his hand and his mouth. Her moans grew deeper and deeper
until they were guttural. Animalistic.
Yes. This was what he needed. To taste her and feel her pleasure as she gasped for air. Her entire body tensed, pulling him
deeper into her. His tongue continued against her hard clit.
“Fuck.” The way she drew out the word meant she was almost there.
He couldn’t see her face but he felt every muscle in her body release as her orgasm overtook her. Gently he straightened her
legs and stood up long enough to strip off his clothes. He grabbed a condom from his wallet and slipped it on.
“Don’t stop, Z. You’re so beautiful,” he said as he kneeled between her legs.
She mumbled incoherently but lifted her hips for him. She was so wet from her orgasm that it took no effort to bury himself
deep inside her. He groaned as he stilled her to keep things from ending too soon.
“Is this what you want?”
“Yes,” she repeated in between breaths. “Yes. Fuck me, please.”
She ground her hips, pushing him even deeper.
All the willpower he’d had vanished. He grabbed her hips and did as she requested. This wasn’t just what he wanted or needed.
It was what the woman he loved wanted. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t ready to go public about their relationship.
What mattered was that she wanted him. She needed him.
“Again,” she panted. “Make me come again.”
And dammit, he’d give her everything in the world was his last thought as they both exploded in pleasure.