Chapter 6
There weredays where I truly wondered if the universe was out to get me.
In a past life, had I done something so horrible, I was still paying for it?
Or was I just an utterly clumsy girl walking here?
No seriously, I wanted to know.
Maybe my guardian Angel was out on a coffee run too…
Today was one of those days where I should have just stayed in bed, eating Oreos and contemplating my path in life. Or something equally poetic.
“There’s only two days until the big Billionaire Auction,” I called out as I entered the office. “We can pick your tux up after 11:30am. I got us a table at Julian’s for noon.”
This was where I messed up my sort-of calm, collectedness I’d been gathering since I’d left the coffee shop. I’d decided to walk back to the office, the limo creeping along the road with me. It was a sight.
What was also a sight was the fact that I had a happy ankle biter try to hump my leg at the last crosswalk.
I mean…what the hell, man?
I was inside now; safe and ready to get this day over. Instead of looking at my phone, which was stupid to start with for someone who can literally trip over air, whenever the urge hit.
Which meant: I should have been looking where I was going.
I should have expected my luck to go sideways, as it tended to do, because when I went to push Rudy’s office door closed, a big body stepped out from the opposite corner.
“Don’t be calling it that, love.”
If you immediately thought “poor girl just fell over in fear,” no. Not that.
If you said, “I know she just screamed,” oh, you’d be right. I let out a shriek that hurt my own ears.
“Sorry, love.” He rushed to my side. “It’s just me.”
“You jerk,” I huffed, clutching onto his arm.
Okay, so, don’t judge me. I knew it wasn’t his fault; it was totally mine, but damn.
“I was coming out of the loo; it wasn’t on purpose. Forgive me?” He pulled me into his chest and started chuckling.
I gave in and laughed too. “I may need to change my pan?—”
“Is everything alright in here?” May asked, bustling in with a man in khaki pants and a blue, Ferguson Financial polo. He was big, football player kind of big, and yet, he had kind eyes. And the jerk looked amused. Great.
I obviously knew who he was. One of our unseen security guys. He blended in perfectly with the guys in the mail room, the ad team, and some of the men in the finance office; no one would know. Solid plan.
“I’m sorry,” I held up my free hand, “I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, and his sudden appearance scared me. Least I didn’t drop the coffees.”
I chuckled, walking toward the desk, and my luck, which was already shot to shit, went belly up. The fucker died on the spot.
My bag slid off my shoulder, throwing me off balance. I tripped on the carpet at the sudden jerk. The tray of coffees went up, up, and then right down on top of me. I laid on the floor, eyes closed, fighting back the urge to scream.
The coffees were hot but not scalding; my clothes and Rudy’s beautiful rug quickly soaked up everything.
“Love. Fecking hell. May, call an ambulance.”
“Here, I’m a medic, let me look at her.”
“I. Am. Fine,” I grumbled, bringing my hands up to wipe the foam of my latte and everything else off my face. “Nothing broken but my damn pride. Am I trying out for the next—what’s that movie where everything tries to kill people?”
“Final Destination?” Emory asked, a brow cocked.
“Yeah, that one. I want off that casting sheet. Jesus.”
“Ella, sweetheart, come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” May was squatting beside Rudy, her face pinched in worry.
I sighed. “I’m calling out dead for the next week. My mortification can’t handle anymore today.”
Rudy chuckled. “Aye, ye get aff yer arse now, love. I can’t function without yer pretty face where I can see it.”
I sat up and groaned. “I stand corrected.”
“What is it?”
“Where does it hurt?”
May and Emory spoke at once.
“My butt...” That sounded utterly pathetic. I chuckled and hid my face in my hands. “I’m a hot mess today.”
“Aye, yer—Hey!”
“Don’t you ever tell a lady she’s a hot mess.” May glared at Rudy. He was rubbing his arm.
“Yer a mean ol—never mind.”
I laughed hard at their antics.
“Yeah, good catch, kid. Don’t make me beat your butt in front of the security team.”
“Go ahead, I won’t tell a soul, ma’am.”
“Oh, feck aff.” Rudy turned to May. His Gran didn’t back down from his shit one bit. I loved it. They really were a solid team. She loved him, and he loved her. This was what a real family, dysfunctional or not, looked like.
“Him, Gran, not ye. I do know me limits.” He kissed her cheek.
“Yeah, yeah. You are your father’s son, after all.” She chuckled.
“May, can you please grab my spare clothes from the closet? I need to go to the bathroom and attempt to wash this coffee and milk concoction off.”
“Sure thing. You go on.”
“Use my loo, love. Just shower away. May keeps the cupboard stocked so ye should find what ye need.”
“How did I not know there was a shower in there?” My brows shot up to my hairline. I couldn’t do that one eyebrow thing. When I tried, it looked like I was having a stroke or something.
It was very off-putting. Though a good way to get weirdos at the park to walk away when I wasn’t in the mood to be nice. Some people just didn’t know what ‘I’m fine, thanks’ or ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to go’ meant. This society was plain nuts sometimes. This was why I stayed inside and kept to myself.
He grinned. “It’s hidden. Come on, I’ll help ye in there. May, we might need to get the lads from housekeeping in to look at the carpet here.”
“Is it ruined? Dammit. I’m sorry. Next time I say I’m staying home, I’m staying home,” I whined.
“I’ll call them; you just help her to the bathroom,” May replied like I hadn’t spoken.
Fine, fine. I was going.
May stood with a hand in Emory’s. “Would you be a dear and stand at the end of the hall? Let’s give her some breathing room.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emory said, following her out of the office.
When they were gone, and the door was closed, I sighed. My shoes were kicked off the moment I hit the doorway to the bathroom. I placed them in the sink to wipe down once I cleaned myself up.
Rudy hit a piece of the paneling, and lights came on, soft music filling the space. He shut the door, locked it, and pushed a hand against the opposite wall. There was a soft click and the wall folded back as he walked toward the wall.
“Oh, that’s freaking cool.”
“Only a few of us know it’s here. Da’s office has one too. It’s how we make do on those nights that we quite literally are here ‘til the sun comes up.”
“Cool. Cool.” I grunted as my jacket made a thwack sound on the floor. That was probably not coming clean. My shirt, camisole, and bra followed. I pushed my skirt down, grimacing at the way it stuck to one side of me.
“Yer skin is red. Are ye burned, love?”
“No, it’s fine, really.”
“Are ye—” he trailed off when the skirt hit the floor.
I looked up, my eyes widening a little. “What? Do I have marks or something?” I turned to look in the mirror, trying to get up on my tiptoes so I could see. His hands gripped my hips, his lips running down my neck.
“Ew, I’m covered in coffee. Don’t do that?” I laughed as he tickled my side.
“I think I enjoy it better aff yer body.”
I pushed back, my ass rubbing against his already hard cock. This man was insatiable.
“We are at work.”
“Yer the one with your tits out. And ye know what these do to me.” His fingers ran across the tops of my thigh highs, unclipping the snaps holding them in place. He dropped to a knee to slowly help me out of the wet stocking. Then he unhooked the other side. When he stood, I was in nothing but a pair of barely-there lace panties.
“I should shower…” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. The way he was looking at me…I wasn’t going to be getting in that shower anytime soon.
I watched as his hands gripped my hips, and he lifted me to sit on the counter. The marble was cold under my warm skin. “Don’t ye move.”
He pulled his jacket off, hung it on the back of the door. The pressed shirt soon joined it as did his trousers. His t-shirt and boxers were left in a pile on the floor with his socks and loafers. I raised a brow.
“Did I miss a memo?” I teased. “I thought I was the dirty one who needed a shower.”
“Aye, ye be, love, but…” He leaned in, spreading my legs as his mouth claimed mine. I was breathless when he pulled back. “Ye look so beautiful, I need to have you before we go back to work.”
“You’re going to get us in trouble.”
“Ye like being a naughty lass.”
I really did, but only with him. I tugged at his bottom lip with my teeth. “That I do, sir. That I do.”
His mouth claimed mine in a heated kiss, then he slowly started to kiss down my neck, nipping at the flesh. He loved leaving a trail of redness. Marking me with his love bites. Not gonna lie, I fucking loved it too.
His mouth moved down my chest, to my breasts, where he teased my pebbled nipples. My head fell back, and I moaned. The sensations running through me right now…
“Rudy…” I shifted on the counter.
His hands clamped around my thighs, pulling me closer to him as he stood. “Yes, love?”
My eyes met his as my hand found his cock. Slowly, I stroked him. “People will be waiting on us.”
He smirked. “They’ll wait then.” His hands tightened on my thighs, opening me to him. I teased my slit with his tip, getting it wet with my juices, allowing him to slide in with one thrust of his hips.
A long, hoarse moan escaped me as my head fell back. His cock filled me, my body stretching for him. When he started moving, his hips rocking back and forth, I shuddered in pure ecstasy. This man knew just how to make me completely lose myself in the act of our lovemaking.
His thumb started to circle my clit, not touching but close enough to have me ready to beg for more. Sending pulses of lust and desire through me was this man’s specialty; today was no different. I whimpered the second he started to brush against the sensitive bundle.
“Yes…oh God!”
The sensation of him inside of me, his thumb’s ministrations, and the worry of getting caught was a trifecta of elation. My moans, I was trying not to be loud, but this man, he made my body come alive in ways no other could even attempt.
His mouth crashed into mine as my peak hit. The orgasm locked my body in a tight grip. He swallowed my cries and in turn, I stole his when he jerked, his release filling me.
Pulling back slightly, he rested his forehead against mine, his palm cupping my cheek.
“I love ye, more than I have words, love.”
“I love you, too,” I replied, almost breathlessly. “I never thought I’d have this.”
He pulled back further, his lips twitching. “What? A shag in a loo?”
My head fell back against the mirror, and I let out a long laugh.
“No, you big ogre. Love. A man who…this,” I said, waving a hand between us.
His smile grew as he leaned in, kissing me softly. “Dontcha be getting sappy, love.”
“It’s okay to be sappy.”
“Ye may be right, but I’s not into it.”
He was but wouldn’t admit it. That was okay; he didn’t have to.
“We should get a move on.” I wasn’t sure if that was a statement or a question. I glanced down at my watch and sighed. Statement it would seem. We had just over an hour until his 9:30am appointment was due in.
“Fair enough.”
I removed my jewelry while he started the shower.
He scooped me up off the counter and set me on my feet, holding tight until I had my feet under me. “First one finished has to go get coffee,” I remarked, stepping into the spray. I was fully rinsed by the time he stepped in with me.
“Coffee will be delivered at 9:15am, so we can take our time.”
Oh, yeah, we were so going to be late.