25. Aisling
TWENTY-FIVE
Aisling
PRESENT
Finn
Can you come to my office?
Aisling
Why?
Finn
I’m your boss. Do I have to give a reason?
Aisling
I thought we established Nora’s my boss. Also, do you normally text all your employees with meeting requests?
A moment later, as I’m sitting at my desk waiting for his reply, my email notification chimes.
From: [email protected]
Re: Meeting Request
Aisling,
Could you come to my office? I have something I wish to discuss with you.
Thanks.
Finn Larkin-O’Connell
Acting CEO, O’Connell Tours
I roll my eyes, smiling to myself.
Aisling
Smart ass.
Finn
I’ve told you before, darlin’. It’s arse. Now, get yours up here.
I wait ten minutes just to mess with him, and then, with as much calm as I can muster, I rise from my desk and head to the elevator.
It’s been two weeks since that night at his parents’ house. Two weeks since we finally gave in to this thing between us; we spent an unforgettable night swimming under the stars. When we finally emerged from the pool, we got dressed and took a somewhat soggy cab ride back to his apartment, where we spent the entire weekend in bed together. I always imagined Finn to be a good lover, but I had no idea.
No freaking clue.
He was attentive and giving.
And that mouth? The things he said and did with it should really be considered illegal.
I can’t help the blush that creeps up my neck as I exit the elevator and walk down the hallway toward his office. I pretend to adjust the collar of my blouse while passing Finn’s assistant, hoping she doesn’t notice. She must know I’m expected because she barely spares me a second glance as I step into his open door.
The second I cross the threshold, the door shuts, and I’m pinned against it by Finn’s hard body. I let out a startled gasp as I hear the sound of the lock click in place.
“You’re late,” Finn whispers in my ear.
“Are you going to punish me?”
The tip of his nose brushes against my neck as he releases a low chuckle. “I really shouldn’t be doing this, but you make me feel fucking desperate. I couldn’t go another minute without touching you or hearing those sexy little sounds you make.”
His hand skates down my thigh, reaching the hem of my skirt. God, were we really going to—his hand slides underneath to cup my ass. I whimper.
“Yeah, just like that.”
He hoists me up, and my legs wrap around his middle, making my skirt pool around my waist. He leads us to the large mahogany desk. It’s then that I realize I still haven’t asked him why he didn’t remodel in here.
I remember finding it strange the first time I walked in here—how dark and moody it was compared to the rest of the building. It was like stepping back in time, and I knew it was not due to a lack of funds.
But right now isn’t exactly the time to ask. Not when…
“Oh, god.” I let out a moan as he places me on the desk, and then—before I even have a chance to breathe—he flips me around so my stomach lies flat on the cool wood. He hikes up my skirt, his palm sliding up between my thighs as he uses his foot to kick my legs further apart.
“You look so good like this,” he says. “Think you can be quiet?”
“Yes.”
He bends forward, and I can feel his hard cock through his slacks as he presses against me. “I’m not sure I believe you.” He shifts, and a second later, he’s shoving something into my mouth. His tie.
Holy hell.
My heart starts to race as I hear the sound of his belt buckle and zipper. By the time his hand slips between my legs and slides the tiny scrap of fabric to the side, I’m nearly panting.
God, I’ve never had sex like this before.
The all-consuming kind. The I-don’t-care-if-someone-catches-us kind of sex.
That is what it is like with Finn.
Every. Single. Time.
There is no foreplay or warm-up and really, there is no need. I am so wet and ready for him. This is the definition of an office quickie, and fuck; it’s just as hot as every romance book promised me it would be. He slams into me, and thank God for the tie because I let out a noise that is something between a squeal and a moan. His hands dig into my waist as he pistons his hips, driving himself into me, over and over. The real world melts away, and soon, it’s just me and him and this driving need for pleasure.
“Touch yourself, Ash. Make yourself come.” His voice is deep and full of command.
I feel my cheeks flush. Embarrassment, really? This man has me bent over a desk in the middle of the workday, and I’m suddenly getting self-conscious over this.
Come on, Ash. Time to put your big girl panties on.
Or take them off? Whatever.
The moment I slip my hands between my legs, I feel his movement slow, like he’s truly mesmerized by what I’m doing. It’s all the motivation I need. I let out a low moan the second my fingers touch my clit.
“How many times have you touched yourself thinking about me?” he asks. My pace quickens, emboldened by his words. “How many, Ash?”
“Too many to count,” I try to say around the tie.
It comes out garbled, but he must understand because he leans forward, his palm skating under the fabric of my shirt as he whispers in my ear. “Show me.”
If I weren’t already close, those words would have gotten me there. I explode, my body convulsing as waves of never-ending pleasure make my vision go blurry. My core pulses, gripping his cock like a vise, and he lets out a strangled curse.
“So fucking tight,” he says in a hushed voice as he hauls me off the desk so my back is flush against his chest. He takes a step back until we collapse into the chair behind him. I’m now in his lap, and he doesn’t miss a beat, snaking his hands under my top to grab my breasts as I roll my hips.
“Yes,” he groans. “God, yes. Just like that.”
Our office quickie is turning out to be not so quick. But then again, sex with Finn never is. He tweaks my nipple between the lacy fabric of my bra. His tie is seriously ruined now from stifling all my moans. I doubt he gives two fucks.
Especially when he pushes me forward and says, “Hold on.” He then wraps his hands around my waist like that’s the last of his control. The office sounds like sex. Heavy breath and pounding flesh. It takes every ounce of control I have left to not scream like a banshee.
For this alone, I think I deserve an award.
Or at least a cookie.
Because, oh my god, the way his body mercilessly pounds into me is like nothing I’ve ever felt. He grips my waist, bouncing me up and down on his cock, while his hips thrust upward. Our bodies slam together in the most delicious way, hitting all the best spots, and soon, I’m coming. Again.
This time, I do scream a little.
But Finn knows me by now because his hand comes around to cover my mouth just in time, stifling whatever his tie cannot.
His head falls onto my curved spine a moment later, and he lets out a quieter version of what I’ve come to know as his “come groan”—which, yes, is sexy as fuck. He pulls me back onto his chest and removes the tie. Dropping it on the floor, Finn turns my head and kisses me long and slow as his arms snake around my waist.
“Sorry for ruining your tie.”
“Sorry for making a mess of your panties.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No.” He smirks. “I’m not. I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of the fact that you’re walking covered in my cum for the rest of the day.”
I shake my head. “And here I thought I was falling for a sweet and charming tour guide. Who knew he had such a dirty mouth.”
“You knew,” he says confidently.
My stomach does flip-flops, and he laughs. “Okay,” I relent. “Maybe I had an inkling.”
I get up, and we start to rearrange our clothes and fix our hair. I ask Finn for some tissues to take care of the situation between my legs, and he refuses. “I told you, darlin’. I really like the idea of you walking around covered in me, smelling like me.”
“You’re a caveman.”
He shrugs. “Never said I wasn’t.”
I finish brushing my fingers through my hair, trying my best to make it look like I wasn’t just thoroughly fucked, and then glance down at my watch. “Shit, I’ve got to go,” I say to him. “I’ve got a meeting in the conference room in twenty minutes.”
He grins and shakes his head. “You know it takes exactly three minutes to get there, yeah?”
“Shut up,” I mutter. “I like being on time.”
He steps forward until he’s right in front of me. “I do recall you being very punctual on our tour. I just assumed it was because you liked me.”
“Oh, I did,” I agree. “But I didn’t need to show up early to spend time with you.”
“No, your mam mostly took care of that.” A sudden wave of grief sweeps over me that startles me. It must show on my face because Finn steps forward and cups my chin. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Although we spent an excessive amount of time in bed over the last week, we also managed to find time to talk—to catch up. It was essential. We had been apart for two years, and we missed a lot in each other’s lives.
One of the main topics of conversation was my mom and her illness.
“It’s not your fault,” I reassure him. “Grief is funny like that. I can go days or weeks feeling perfectly fine, and then suddenly, it’s as if I’m taking ten steps backward.”
“You don’t think it’s because we dredged up a bunch of stuff talking about it?”
I shrug. “Maybe, but honestly, I’m glad we did.” He rubs my shoulders while I rest my hands on his waist. “I don’t have anyone I can talk to about her, you know? It might have been painful to talk about the sad stuff, but it was nice to reminisce with someone who actually knew her.”
He offers a sad smile. “Well, I’m here,” he vows. “Whenever you need me.”
But we both know that’s not true.
Not when our relationship has an expiration date.
* * *
“Are you fucking Finn O’Connell?” Shea startles me, plopping down in the seat next to me. I’ve been here for about ten minutes because, as Finn said, it really does take only three minutes to get from his office to the conference room.
Not that I would tell him that.
“I—” I stutter, looking at her with a wide, panicked expression.
But she just stares back at me with an ear-splitting grin. She’s wearing purple eyeshadow that seems like it took a year to apply. “Oh my god! You are! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Um—” I gulp. How do I answer this? Lie? No, Shea is my friend. But Finn is our boss. This is why I decided to keep this whole thing on the DL.
“Are you worried that we might hate you? Or think you’re being opportunistic?”
I shrug. “Kind of,” I answer honestly, noticing the hurt in her eyes before I add, “Well, not you! But everyone else, maybe. Nothing beyond our six-month contract is guaranteed, and I didn’t want people thinking I was getting special treatment if I was offered an extension.”
She scoffs. “Everyone knows Finn wouldn’t do that. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to O’Connell. Well, I mean now.”
“What do you mean now?” My eyes widen as I realize I hadn’t connected the dots before. “You were here before Finn left to become a tour guide, weren’t you?”
She nods. “Briefly, but yeah. He was wild, let me tell ya.”
I think about that for a minute. “I can’t imagine him like that. I mean, I know it’s true; he’s told me as much, but I just can’t picture him as he is now and see how it fits with an out-of-control fuckboy.”
She bursts into laughter. “Well, thank God for whatever miraculous change happened to the man, because this place needed it.”
That piques my interest. “Was his dad horrible or something?”
She shakes her head. “No. Just—” She pauses as if searching for the right word. Pursing her lips, she finally continues. “He was the typical wealthy businessman. He never spoke directly to any employees and never even came down to the main floor. He was essentially a ghost to all of us. He managed things the same way year after year. No changes, no improvements. When Finn took over, he not only gave it a makeover and brought it into the present century—he gave it life.”
I smile, yet I feel a twinge of sadness because I wish it didn’t come at the cost of his own happiness.
Or mine.
“Wait,” I said, backpedaling. “How did you know?—”
“That you were fucking the CEO?”
I roll my eyes. “Oh my god! Stop saying that! Someone is going to hear?—”
“That you’re riding the bossman?” Niall says, waltzing into the conference room. He gives me a wink before taking a seat across from us.
I raise my hands in frustration. “Does everyone know?”
“Yep.” That’s Damien; he takes the seat next to Niall.
“You don’t even know what we’re talking about. You just walked in.
“That you and Finn are?—”
I toss a pen at his perfect face.
Everyone laughs.
“Seriously. How do you all know? We’ve tried really hard to be discreet.”
“You’re doing a shite job of it,” Shea says. “For future reference, keep the eye-fucking to a minimum when in meetings.”
Oops . At least they don’t know about the very explicit text messages he was sending that led to the eye-fucking.
“And when you come back from a ‘meeting,’” Niall says, using air quotes for the last word. Maybe do a better job fixing your, uh—” He points to my blouse. I look down and nearly squeak in mortification because I didn’t even realize it was unbuttoned. My lace bra is practically hanging out.
How did Finn not notice that?
“Oh my god!”
“Never took you for the office hookup kind of girl,” Shea says. “Have to say, I’m kind of impressed.”
“Can you give recommendations on the best spots?” Niall chimes in with a wicked grin. “There’s this girl in the call center I’ve been flirting with, and I’d love to start scoping out locations.”
I shake my head at their absurd antics. “You know what? You can all just fuck right off.”
They all burst into laughter.
Moments later, when they bombard me with questions about how it started, how serious it is, and anything else they can think of, I can’t help but smile.
Because, for the first time in years, I have friends.
They aren’t simply people who tolerate me because they love and adore Theo. They aren’t classmates I talk to only in passing. They’re genuine, real friends who love me.
I might have nearly flashed everyone in the building, but for once, life is good. It’s really fucking good.