39. You Shouldn’t Settle
YOU SHOULDN’T SETTLE
TARA
Monday arrived far too soon. It followed a weekend that had both been one of the happiest of my life, yet one of the saddest after a visit with my father.
While my personal life has become tough to navigate, work has also been incredibly busy.
Now that Aiden and I are working as a team, we’ve been bringing in more work than any of the other advisers, which has been both a blessing and a curse.
“Have you got those quotes sorted for the house for Deidre?” I ask Aiden, walking into his office after lunch.
I’ve barely seen him all morning, since Celeste had dropped off the documents he’d gone to collect and said that David had kidnapped him.
“Yeah, I just finished it. You’ve finished their other quotes?” He rolls his chair back and stretches his arms above his head.
“All ready to go. I’ll send them all over now. How did it go with David?” I lean against his desk, and he rolls forward slightly to run his hands up the outside of both of my thighs.
I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching us from outside, but our colleagues all appear to be otherwise occupied.
“Playing it a little dangerous there, mister,” I say, smiling a little when he plays with the hem of my skirt.
“I like this outfit. Another new one from your latest Sylvia shopping trip?” he asks, sliding his hand up a little further, grazing the skin of my inner thigh.
I fight back a gasp when he lightly traces a path up and down with his finger, watching my face with a dangerous look in his eye.
“Yes. I’m slowly replacing my entire wardrobe,” I reply, my voice shaking a little.
He smirks, sliding his hand up a little higher. Finally reaching my self preservation limit, I bat his hand away, and he laughs, rolling back again to create some space between us.
“So what did David want?” I rest my hands on either side of my hips and slide back on the desk a little more. Aiden’s expression changes slightly, and I cock my head to the side. “What’s that look for?”
“He wanted to congratulate me on the sales coming in.” He looks over my shoulder before bringing his gaze back to mine. “Apparently we broke some sort of quarterly record.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good news then. Why don’t you seem happy?”
He lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair. “Because he was making a point of congratulating me. Like I was the only one doing the work. You should have been there with me.”
“Ah… I see.” Warring emotions rise up within me. Happiness that we work so well as a team clashes with frustration that no matter how hard I work, David seems determined to disregard the value I bring to not just this team, but the company as a whole.
My feelings must be showing on my face, because Aiden moves forward again, taking my left hand and squeezing it gently. “I reminded him that I didn’t do this alone.”
I smile, squeezing back. “I know you’re championing for me. But it seems like he’s pretty determined to ignore the fact that I’m doing work above my pay grade.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry. When my bonus comes through, I’m splitting it with you.”
I shake my head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking me to do anything. You earned it just as much as I did, if not more. It’s your knowledge that is giving the clients confidence to go with us.”
“It’s not really about the money, though.
I mean, yes, the bonus would be nice. But I think I’d like the recognition more.
I work my ass off for this company. I carried John for years without so much as a thank you from David.
I kept thinking, if I just continue proving my worth, one day he will have to acknowledge everything I do.
” I shrug, a lump forming in my throat. “But I’m starting to realise that it’s never going to happen. ”
His eyes widen. “You’re not thinking about leaving, are you?”
I smile, reaching forward to touch his cheek before remembering where we are. I let my hand drop back to my side. “I don’t know. But something needs to change.”
“I’ll talk to him again. I’ll make him understand.” Aiden looks so frustrated, and I know, if I let him, he’d march into his father’s office right now.
“It’s okay. If he hasn’t worked it out by now, he’s never going to. I’m just glad that I was able to help you find your feet. At least for now, until you start studying.”
He shakes his head. “I still haven’t decided if I’m doing that yet.”
“But I can tell you want to. We can make anything work, if that’s what you want to do.”
He raises an eyebrow while the corners of his mouth lift a little. “ We can, huh?”
I smile again, and this time I do allow myself to touch his face for a moment. “Yep. We’re a we now, sorry. ”
“I think I can handle that.” His gaze drops to my lips, and I can see the war within him as he fights against the urge to kiss me.
“Hey Aiden, have you seen -” Damien’s voice startles us both, and we jump. “Ah, Tara, there you are.”
I shoot to my feet, realising how close we’d moved towards each other throughout the conversation. “Yep, here I am. Do you need help with something?”
Damien hesitates, looking from me to Aiden, and then back again. “Uh, yeah. Can I get you to look over a quote for me? Sarah’s off today and she normally double checks my quotes before I send them to the clients,” he says, and I nod.
“Yep, I can do that.” I know I sound far too eager, and try to dial back the nervous enthusiasm. “Email me the client details and I’ll check the system.”
Damien waits a moment, and I can tell that he’s noticed the weirdness. But he doesn’t say anything further, just nods and heads back to his desk.
I look back at Aiden and let out a breath. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation later?”
He nods, glancing over my shoulder again. “Probably a good idea.”
I make a beeline for my desk and avoid looking over at Damien in case he’s watching me. The last thing we need is anyone talking about Aiden and I. It would just add an extra layer of stress to our lives that neither of us needs right now.
Maybe it really is time for me to start looking for a new job.
Several hours later, I look up to see that the office has emptied while I’ve been frantically trying to work through several detailed quotes. When the requests had come through, I’d put my earphones in and knuckled down, determined to get it done before I went home.
But now that I’m looking around, I’ve realised that not only has everyone gone home, the sun has set, making the florescent lights appear even harsher than usual.
“Aiden? Are you still here?” I call out.
“Yeah, of course. I wasn’t going to leave you behind.” His voice drifts out from his office.
Pushing back from my desk, I stand and stretch before moving towards the open door. I find him sitting behind his desk, looking a little disheveled. His wavy hair is rumpled, like he’s been running his hands through it continuously, and he’s loosened his tie to undo the top button.
“You okay?” I ask, coming to stand beside him.
He’s got the application page open for the online university course I’d sent him a few days ago, suggesting it can’t hurt just to look at what his options are.
“You’re applying?” I ask, running my hand through his hair.
“I’m considering it,” he replies, resting his head against my hip.
“I think you should do it. Applying doesn’t mean you have to go. But at least you’ll have your options open.”
He sighs, raking his hand through his hair once again. “I don’t know why I’m so resistant to this,” he mumbles.
I smile. “It’s hard starting over. But you’ve already done that, and you know you can do it. Here, I’ll help.” I move to grab the chair from the other side of his desk, but he pulls me down onto his lap so that I’m facing the computer. “Ooff. I’m going to squash you if I sit here.”
He brings his arm around me and pulls me further back into his lap. “No you won’t,” he says, his voice sounding a little rough in my ear.
I turn slowly to look back at him, noting the desire in his eyes. “Why, Mister Sanderson, are you trying to seduce me?”
He smirks back, sliding his other hand slowly up my leg. “I would never dream of it, Miss Richards.”
“Glad to hear it. Because it would be highly unprofessional for us to do anything naughty in the office,” I reply, putting on a prim accent, even as my heart begins to beat faster in my chest with each inch he moves his hand up under my skirt.
“Terribly unprofessional.” He presses his lips to the spot where my neck curves to meet my shoulder, and I shiver.
“Anyone could walk in,” I murmur, although I make no move to stop the slow progression of his hand.
“Everyone has left. But be a good girl and come for me quick, just to be safe.” He kisses his way up my neck while his fingers work their way between my legs, and he circles my clit over the fabric of my underwear, applying just the right amount of pressure.
I moan, muffling the sound with my hand while he picks up the pace.
I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline from worrying about someone walking in on us, or just the overall affect he has on my body, but it’s not long before an orgasm begins to build.
I can feel him growing hard against my back the closer I get, and I love that he is so turned on by bringing me pleasure.
Just as my body begins to unfurl, he pulls my face around with his other hand and kisses me hard while I cry out, muffling the sound.
“God, you’re so bloody sexy,” he whispers against my lips while my body quivers.
“I want you,” I reply once my wits have returned to me.
“Well, if you insist.” He helps me up before moving to the door and locking it, pulling the blinds closed. “Just in case. I don’t want to scare any cleaners if they rock up,” he says when he takes note of my raised eyebrow.
He comes back to stop in front of me, sliding his hand behind my head to hold me still while he crushes his lips to mine.
I lean into his chest, opening my mouth to him when he runs his tongue along my lower lip.
He walks me backwards until my butt hits his desk.
Spinning me around, he kisses his way down my neck while pulling my skirt up.
But he stops, letting out a frustrated sigh and resting his forehead against my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” I ask .
“I don’t have a condom.”
“Oh.” Disappointment sets in for a moment, but I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “I’m on the pill.”
He lifts his head and meets my gaze. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, we could still do this… if you want?”
He considers me for a moment. “Are you sure?”
I bite my lip and nod. “I’ve never had unprotected sex before. I’d like you to be my first. Like you’ve been my first with so much else.”
He kisses my temple. “It will be a first for me, too.” He slides my underwear down my legs, helping me step out of them in my heels. “These shoes are just the right height for this. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve imagined bending you over this desk?”
My heart skips a little at the possessive tone in his voice. “No. How did you imagine this? What was I doing?”
“You were giving me attitude because I’d pissed you off.
So I’d bend you over and remind you that you work for me.
” He moves between my legs and runs his finger over my clit while pushing me down to rest my cheek against the cool desk top.
My breath hitches when he slides his finger inside me.
“And then I’d make you come so hard you’d see stars. ”
I moan when he begins moving his finger in and out, adding a second finger to stroke my inner wall. “I like this fantasy.”
“Oh, it’s not a fantasy, Tara. This is real life.” His hand disappears and I hear him undo his fly.
The empty feeling is soon replaced by pleasure when he slides inside me. We both moan, the lack of any barrier between us making the feeling even more intense.
“Jesus. I’m not going to last long like this. You feel amazing.” He thrusts, small and shallow, like he’s worried that anything harder will send us both over the edge too soon.
“Oh god,” I moan, moving my hands up to grip the edge of the desk above my head. “Please, fuck me, Aiden. ”
My words unleash something primal in him, and he begins thrusting into me hard and fast. He slips a hand around to rub my clit, and another orgasm races to the surface.
As it explodes through me, he moves his hand up, bending over me from behind to grip my hands tightly and changing the angle.
He hits my g-spot, and my vision blurs when a different type of orgasm follows close behind.
I don’t even attempt to keep quiet this time, too overcome by the pleasure rolling through me.
“Am I fucking you to your liking?” he growls into my ear, his breath hot against the back of my neck.
“Yes. Keep going,” I whimper.
Using my body for his own pleasure now, he drives my hip bones into the edge of the desk. It’s the most erotic experience of my life, and I absolutely love it. I can feel him growing harder inside me, moments before he moans, and his own release rockets through him.
He eventually stills, resting his head against my shoulder.
“Was it as good as you imagined?” I whisper.
He brushes a kiss to the back of my neck. “No. It was a thousand times better.”