Chapter Seventeen
ISOBEL
Boston
Leilani’s words had been echoing in my head for the past several days. Maybe I could still have a baby. But I’d never know unless I did something about it. I still wasn’t convinced Adrian would be a good fit for someone to solicit for insemination services, but I could address that later.
Deciding to put on my big girl panties, I pulled up the contact I’d saved for the fertility clinic a few blocks away from my office building.
As the phone rang, my palms began to sweat. I knew this decision would ultimately change the course of my entire life. Not only could I potentially be responsible for another human being, but I would also have to consider how it would affect my career. I knew there was a daycare on the second floor where we received a corporate discount, but what about the rest of it? I worked insane hours when I was on a deadline. I couldn’t do that anymore with a child.
Book tours would also be something I wasn’t sure I could navigate in the future. Short of hiring a traveling nanny, I wasn’t sure that kind of travel was possible being a single parent.
“Hello, this is Vitality Women’s Health and Hormone. Can I ask what you’re calling to schedule today?”
My mouth suddenly went dry as I swallowed hard and tried to find the words to talk.
“Um, hi. My name is Isobel, and I’d like to schedule an appointment to get some fertility testing done.”
“Great,” she chirped, much too chipper for my frazzled nerves. “Let me get some basic information from you. Do you have your insurance card handy?”
My mind went on autopilot as I answered her questions and read the policy number off my insurance card. I should have done this years ago, just so I would know once and for all, but it was better late than never. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see if this was possible.
Sticking my head in the sand and pretending I didn’t want this wasn’t healthy for me any longer. I’d be forty in a few years, and once that happened, my chances of having a successful pregnancy were slim.
“Alright, we’ve got you down for an appointment two weeks from now. I’ll send you a link to access our registration forms, so if you could submit those before your appointment, that would be great. Aside from that, you’re good to go until we see you.”
“Thanks,” I said before ending the call, dropping my phone to the desk, and cradling my head in my hands.
That was how Adrian found me minutes later, but the look on his face was cheerful and excited, so I doubted he overheard my phone call. Thankfully, Kristine had decided to work elsewhere this afternoon. While she was an excellent employee, the lines of professionalism were clearly drawn between us. And she already had a very negative reaction to Adrian without adding in the way our relationship was changing.
“Hey,” he greeted, taking a seat across from my desk and crossing one leg over the other in that typical masculine way men did. Lei liked to call it manspreading, but the look of it on Adrian was quite attractive. “You ready?”
Glancing at my abandoned phone on the desk, when I answered, I wasn’t sure if it was his question, or my unanswered one. “Yeah. Just let me grab my bag and lock up. ”
Adrian watched as I logged off my computer and pulled my purse out of my filing cabinet. He sat there smirking, but not saying a word.
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked, settling his hand on my back as we walked toward the elevator a few moments later. If Andrea noticed how close we were to each other as we passed her desk, she was great at pretending, because her head remained down as she studied the papers on her desk.
“Lasagna is always good, but I’m not sure if I want something that filling.” I typically ate salads for lunch, preferring to eat at my desk while I had at least one document open on my computer. “What?”
“I’m gonna refrain from commenting on that one.”
“Why?” I wasn’t sure how he could spin eating Italian food into something that’d irritate me.
“Because you usually roll your eyes at my inappropriate commentary.”
“What’s inappropriate about lasagna?”
He leaned in close to my ear, his lips grazing my earlobe. “Not the lasagna part, the filling part. I’d be happy to fill you with more than cheese and carbs. My own special white sauce should do the trick.”
“Wow,” I laughed, shaking my head at him, but secretly charmed by his candid comments. “You just can’t help yourself.”
“Not with you wearing that skirt.” He seemed to be fixated on this skirt, but now that I knew his recollection of our first introduction to each other, it didn’t seem filled with quite as much animosity. “But don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking me out.”
Of course, his inflated ego couldn’t resist. He knew he was an attractive man. Despite his personality flaws, he was the object of several young employee’s office ogling sessions. I knew what the gossip was about him—and certain appendages included in his nickname. And he surprisingly didn’t have a tiny one, despite the ongoing debate. “You’re so full of yourself.”
“Again, not what I’d like to fill. And I’m worn out from taking care of myself. The taste of something lingering on my taste buds kept me distracted all weekend.”
My cheeks warmed at his blatantly sexual comment, but knowing the memory of straddling his face kept him excited all weekend was flattering. “You really should practice better oral hygiene if it lingered that long.”
“You’re just setting yourself up for all kinds of inappropriate jokes today. My oral skills are just fine.”
“I’m regretting my decision to join you for lunch,” I sighed, but we both knew I would likely agree to it.
“Date.”
“Hmm?” My hum had a teasing edge to it, but I knew exactly what point he was trying to make.
“Don’t play coy with me. You’re not just humoring me with lunch as a coworker. This is a date, Isobel. I made that clear in my texts. But if you need a refresher, I’d be happy to show you why I think we should date.”
“Physical chemistry isn’t everything.” The obnoxious smirk on his face should have been insulting. He really enjoyed throwing my attraction to him in my face.
“You know this bantering turns you on as much as it does me.”
“Yes, borderline hatred just does it for me.”
Despite my droll delivery, he still chuckled, leaning in to whisper in my ear, his warm breath caressing my neck. “We both know you don’t hate me. But I’m happy to fulfill any of your hate fucking fantasies after work.”
“Oh, go fuck yourself,” I scoffed, pushing him away, but he didn’t go far.
“I thought we established I do,” he laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Same,” I laughed, finally giving into the humor of the situation. And trying not to picture Adrian stroking the cock I’d had a few interactions with. We could start with dating and maybe work our way up to me reenacting my first encounter with his male anatomy.
He leaned in closer, the heat of his body pressed up against mine doing crazy things to my self-control. “Did someone touch themselves this weekend while they thought about what I did to them on Friday?”
“No.” I shook my head, and he laughed, his lips slowly grazing my neck.
“Liar.”
“ I didn’t touch myself. My vibrator did. I already told you I fucked myself.” Biting my lip, I waited for the inappropriate comment, but it never came as Adrian growled and grasped my hand, pulling me out of the alcove by the elevators and down the hallway behind him.
Thankfully, most of the people on our floor had already left for their lunch breaks, so not many heads turned at Adrian towing me down the hallway. Fortunately, I had long legs, so I could keep up, but this was a surefire way to become fodder for the office gossip pool.
“What are you doing?” I hissed as he stopped in front of the door to the copy room, his hand pausing on the doorknob.
“What I’ve fantasized about nearly a thousand times over the last five years.”
He pushed the door open, briefly checking to make sure the small room was unoccupied before he tugged me inside. Carefully closing the door, he locked it and turned me to face him.
“I’ll take you to eat later,” he promised, pulling off his suit jacket, tossing it on the small table next to the copier, and loosening his tie before he threw the tail over his shoulder. My eyes widened while I watched him carefully remove his cufflinks, stuffing them in his pockets before he precisely rolled up his sleeves, the muscles of his forearms flexing as he smoothed out the material. “But I’m too hungry to wait. ”
“What are…” I trailed off when he dropped to his knees, his eyes fixated on rolling up the material of my tight skirt, the cool air causing goosebumps to rise along my thighs.
“Fuck yes, such a good listener,” he praised. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on my pubic bone, his fingers teasingly drawing through my wet pussy. The wet tips pressed on my clit with enough pressure to cause my head to thump against the glass behind me. “No panties makes this much easier.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I whispered, grasping the hair on the back of his head, my fingers messing up the carefully styled strands.
“Fuck yes, we should. I wish I could’ve enacted this fantasy the day I met you.” His voice was rough as he leaned in closer, carefully tucking my skirt up into my waistband while his lips dragged along the crease of my thigh. His large hands wrapped around me, possessively cupping my ass through the material of the skirt bunched up against the backs of my thighs.
“That would’ve been sexual harassment,” I panted as he took one slow lick between my legs.
“And it would’ve been worth getting in trouble,” he responded, looking up at me from his knees, his blue eyes almost glowing in the dim lighting. “But I’m glad I waited. Because now I know you want it just as much as I do.”
“I…” I stuttered as he trailed his fingers back, meeting absolutely no resistance as he slid them inside because I was obscenely wet. I had been since he’d started sending me those text messages during the staff meeting.
“I know, babe. You don’t need to feed my ego. I can feel how much you want me. And it is so fuckin’ hot.”
Before I could formulate any kind of coherent response, his focus changed, his tongue darting out to torture my clit with soft, teasing touches while his fingers hooked and massaged a place inside me that made my pulse race.
My legs were tense, thighs flexing as he continued to tease me, my body feeling overwhelmed with heat. But I couldn’t cry out like I wanted to, because I didn’t know who might be lurking outside the door. My teeth dug into my lower lip as his touches became more desperate, less controlled, and I could tell he was tired of stringing me along.
“Fuck,” I panted, yanking his hair, knowing that I wanted more than his fingers this time. It was impulsive, and entirely reckless, but despite my earlier protests, I wanted to fuck him. I wanted him inside me. And I wanted it now. “Stop… please stop, Ad.”
I pushed his head away from me, almost laughing at his confused expression. He was the most unkempt I’d ever seen him–hair a disaster. His tie flipped back over his shoulder and his lips and chin glistened with the evidence of how much he turned me on.
“You didn’t come yet. Why’d you want me to stop?” he whispered, his palm wrapping around the back of my thigh with his thumb stroking my skin affectionately.
“I want something else.”
He frowned,seeking but waited for me to elaborate. I just needed to build up the courage to ask for what I wanted.
“ You . I want you.”
“You’ve got me, babe. I’m literally on my knees for you right now.” He smiled, clearly enjoying this interaction even though I’d basically cock-blocked myself, but I hoped not for long.
“I don’t want you on your knees…” I took a deep breath and finally asked for what I needed from him in a hushed voice. “I want you inside me. I need you to fuck me.”
“Fuck,” he growled, scooting closer and kissing the fronts of my thighs, his lips dragging over my skin. It felt so good to have him touch me, and I didn’t doubt he would’ve given me a satisfying orgasm with his mouth and fingers, but I wanted something else.
He slowly rose from his knees, drawing up the back of my skirt to cup the bare skin of my thighs while his nose dragged up the front of my blouse, his lips seeking out the skin of my neck while he pressed me into the door.
“Are you sure this is what you want? You want it like this?”
“Yes,” I panted while he squeezed my ass, pulling me in close so I could feel how hard he was beneath his suit pants.
“This isn’t how I imagined fucking you the first time.”
His growled confession into my neck should’ve been sweet, but I wanted it rough. And I wanted it now.
“Just fuck me,” I panted, my nails digging into the starched material of his shirt. “You told me to beg for it. I’m begging. You want me to be specific. I want you to shove your hard cock inside me and make me come all over it.”
“I don’t have a condom with me…” he whispered quietly into my skin, and I was glad I had been practical in my birth control selection, even though I rarely needed it.
“Doesn’t matter…” I knew it was being irresponsible, but he made me feel reckless.
“Is, come on,” he whined into my skin. “You know I want to. I think you can feel how much, but I can wait.”
“Fine.” I pushed on his shoulder, trying to wiggle out of his hold. “Nevermind, if you don’t want me…”
“It’s not that, but I want you to feel safe with me. Getting carried away and doing something reckless isn’t how I want this. Things are safe on my end to go bare, but…”
“I got tested after my last time, but it’s been a while.”
He smirked, his lips slowly caressing my cheek before he leaned back, his fingertips slowly tucking my wayward curls behind my ear, his gaze lingering on my mouth.
“Define awhile.”
His smile widened as I clenched my jaw, but it didn’t stop the gentle caresses of his hand on my neck. “A long time.”
“Time is subjective,” he whispered, attention firmly fixed on my face.
“A few years.”
His eyebrows rose, clearly startled by my confession. “Why? ”
“Not everyone is sex obsessed, despite your commentary otherwise.”
“You clearly weren’t getting good sex,” he laughed, leaning in to dust a kiss on my lips, his slowly coaxing mine apart. It should have bothered me that his mouth had been between my legs a few minutes ago, but it didn’t, my tongue slowly pressing into his as he gently deepened the kiss. “I’d be happy to change that.”
When we broke apart, I was done waiting, knowing the longer we stayed in this room, the higher the risk of getting caught once people returned from lunch.
“Pull down your pants.”
“Oh, baby,” Adrian laughed, not moving away from me, his lips seeking the skin just above my collarbone and sucking lightly before he tipped his head back. “Talk dirty to me.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I laughed, not expecting this lighter side of him.
“That’s it. Just like that. Keep runnin’ that mouth.” His face traced down further, his nose nuzzling my nipple through my thin blouse. He teased it as his hand pressed between my legs again, his fingers slowly fucking me while my head arched backward.
“Fuck,” I panted when his touch became more insistent.
“I’m gettin’ to it,” he laughed against my chest, seemingly not in any hurry.
“Not fast enough. God, just stop talking.”
“You like it.” He chuckled again, pressing his thumb into my clit to tease me. As I felt myself climb higher and higher, I didn’t want his fingers. “I feel how excited you get when I tease you.”
“Then quit teasing me. I thought you wanted to fuck me. All you seem to be doing is stalling.”
“But feel how wet you are,” he whispered, thrusting his fingers deeper inside me. “I think you like this. I think you want me to rile you up. And when you can’t take it anymore, I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’ll need to sit down the rest of the day. While you’re trying to concentrate on work, all you’ll be able to think about is my cock inside you, and at the end of the day you’ll be wondering if the people walking out of work behind you can tell my cum has been leaking out of you all afternoon.”
“Please, I can’t…” My chest heaved as he showed no signs of stopping, my orgasm bearing down on me.
“Are you sure you want me bare?”
“I’ve got an IUD,” I choked out, trying to keep myself from coming. And if things continue like this, I may be asking for your sperm in a few months.
“You could have told me that earlier,” he chuckled, but it turned into a groan. “God, I want to make you come like this, but I want to feel it more.”
“Yes, inside…now.”
“So bossy. I love it,” he panted against my cheek, slowly removing his hand, and unbuckling his belt while I watched.
Adrian shoved down his pants, his tight boxer briefs outlining how hard he was. Unable to help myself, I grasped him, squeezing while he groaned in my ear. “Someone is impatient.”
“Someone just wants you to fuck her. But you’re being insufferable again.”
“And you like it. It makes you hot when I irritate the shit outta you.”
Adrian leaned back, slowly unbuttoning his dress shirt, and pushing his briefs down his strong thighs, my mouth watering as I took in the expanse of hard muscle he hid underneath his designer clothing. I knew he was a gym rat, but this was ridiculous. He was forty. Men weren’t supposed to look like this at our age.
“Are you done gawking now?” He teased while his large hand slowly pumped his hard cock, a bead of liquid pooling at the head. “Someone wanted me to fuck her. And I’d hate to disappoint. ”
“We’re going to get caught if you don’t hurry.”
“Maybe I like the thought of someone hearing you come on my cock,” he whispered, stepping forward, and crouching slightly to draw the tip of it teasingly along my clit.
“You’d have to make that happen first,” I whispered back, cupping the back of his neck, and bringing his mouth to mine.
Adrian didn’t waste any time grasping the back of my thighs, hoisting me up and pinning me against the wall beside the door. His hand left my skin briefly, but then his mouth smothered the moan I couldn’t hold in when he pulled me down onto his cock.
“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got you.” His gruff whisper against my lips was the last sweet moment before he thrust hard, bottoming out inside me with a muffled groan.
All his hours in the gym proved worthwhile, as he managed to somehow hold my entire weight and fuck me at the same time, savagely pulling me against him while he thrust into me. All the teasing since we’d come in here had just worked me up to the point I couldn’t hold back long, biting the collar of his shirt to keep quiet as I came hard.
“Fuck, that’s it,” he panted against the side of my face. “Gonna come inside you so hard. Fill this pussy just like you wanted.”
And he did, moments later, pulsing while I clung to his shoulders.
My lips quivered as he clasped me against his chest, suddenly overcome with something deeper than my usual irritation with him. Adrian made me feel things, more than just the physical, that I hadn’t felt in years. And if I thought I could escape this situation with my heart unscathed, he’d just proved me wrong.
Adrian didn’t talk for once, slowly lowering me to my feet, pulling a handkerchief from his pants pocket and swiping it between my legs.
As we dressed, I didn’t know what to say to him. I hadn’t expected him to make me feel something other than loathing. But now Leila’s comments about him were running through my head. What if he would be okay with helping me get pregnant? And even though I tried to fight it, my last thought as he kissed me softly before he helped me pull my skirt into place was…
What if he also wanted to help me raise it?