Chapter 15
15
LAYLA
The door closes and I’m still sprawled out against the window with my skirt halfway up my thighs.
What the actual fuck just happened?
I smooth down my skirt as I push off the window and stare at my closed door in disbelief. A smile slowly spreads across my face. I can’t believe it. Cole Hendrix just left me hanging.
I’m about to chase after him and demand he finish what he started when my door bursts open. Maddie walks in, followed closely by Devon. The huge diamond engagement ring on her finger practically blinds me when the sun hits it. I shouldn’t be surprised by what just went down because Madelaine Devereaux is proof enough that miracles really do happen. She is madly in love and has plans to get married a couple of months from now.
“ Chérie ,” she exclaims. “Devon just told me that Cole Hendrix was here. That he brought you lunch…” Her voice trails off as her eyes land on me. I’ve fixed my clothes, but I haven’t had a chance to look in the mirror yet. Shit. Shit. Shit. I can only imagine what I must look like in my sex-induced haze.
A knowing smile spreads across her face. I glance at Devon and his is just as big. They know.
I instinctively reach up to make sure my hair is in place. It’s not. Oh God. What do I tell them? I decide to go with the truth. We don’t keep secrets around here, and besides, the girls already know most of it. Well, everything before Boston—which really isn’t much, as it turns out.
“He was and he did,” I say like it’s a regular occurrence. I pull out my chair and drop into it. The only evidence of our lunch is the faint scent of pad thai that lingers in the air.
“He brought Thai,” I add, like somehow that’s important information.
“Oh, how nice of him. It’s been quite a while since you’ve mentioned him.” She taps her finger against her signature red lips. “Six months, give or take, if I’m not mistaken. I wonder why he was so concerned with your diet all of a sudden.” Her eyes do another sweep of my hair and face, and a golden eyebrow rises in question.
Devon hasn’t said a word. He is still leaning against the door with a wicked grin on his face as he takes it all in.
“Don’t you guys have work to do or something?” I ask as I look between them.
“Nope,” Maddie answers as she makes herself comfortable in one of my client chairs.
“I can spare a couple more minutes,” Devon says. Both of them are still grinning, their eyes locked on mine.
I’ll never get them out of here unless I offer up something more. Whatever. There isn’t much to tell anyway.
“What?” I throw my hands in the air. “We ran into each other in Boston by accident. His brother was supposed to be the keynote speaker but couldn’t make it, so Cole stepped in. As you both know, I’ve been trying to work on my relationship skills lately. Things went better this time. That’s about it.”
Devon shakes his head and chuckles as he walks out.
“What?” I shout after him, but he just keeps walking.
“What’s his problem?” I ask as I turn back to Maddie. Her hand is covering her mouth, trying to contain her own giggles.
She gets up and heads towards the door. “It appears you have succeeded wonderfully with your relationship skills, chérie . However, you might want to take a look in the mirror before you go anywhere. I’m always here if you want to talk about it.” Then she breezes out the door, closing it behind her.
I lean over so I can catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind the door and cringe. I’m out of my seat and in front of the mirror in a matter of seconds. Jesus, why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t they say anything?
I stare at my reflection in horror. My usually sleek hair is sticking out in every direction, like someone has been tugging on it and running their hands through it. Uh, yeah, because someone has.
My red lipstick is smudged halfway across my cheek, making me look like a lopsided clown. I drop my head into my hands and start giggling, because the alternative is not happening. Is this what he had planned all along? Cole may not have staked his claim, but he sure as hell left his mark.
I reach for the bag hanging beside the mirror and get to work. Within minutes my hair is in place, as is my lipstick. Any external evidence left behind of my lunch hour tryst has been wiped clean. I squeeze my thighs together as I try to finish what Cole started. It does nothing but aggravate the situation. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about my aching core or soaked panties at the moment. I’m sure the bloody bastard knew that too.
I remember how hard he was as I pressed against him and practically begged for more. He wasn’t unaffected, but why should I be the only one with lingering consequences. I strut back to my desk and pick up my phone. I’m a woman on a mission. I type out my message and hit send. I hope he’s in an important meeting when he reads this.
Me: Thank you for lunch. Too bad you couldn’t stick around to finish what you started. My panties were such a mess, I had to take them off and then…well…one thing led to another and…let’s just say I’m feeling a lot better now. Too bad I don’t have a spare pair. I’ll have to walk around bare for the rest of the day.
I snicker and set my phone down. That will teach the bastard right for leaving me in this state.
A few minutes later my phone dings. Mission accomplished. I smirk as I flip my phone over and open the reply from Cole.
Cole: You’re welcome. I’m sending over some fresh panties.
Wait—what—that was not what I was expecting. Once again, Mr. Hendrix has caught me off guard. I grin as I type out a reply.
Me: Thank you for the gesture but I’m enjoying my newfound freedom.
Ha, that should do it. I stare at my phone, because I know he won’t leave it at that. Sure enough, three tiny dots start jumping on the screen.
Cole: I insist. I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold because of me. Panties are on the way.
He wouldn’t…would he? I have no freaking idea.
Me: You don’t know my size, and for the record, that is not how you catch a cold.
Cole: I know exactly what size you are...inside and out.
Jesus. My cheeks heat as I read his text.
Cole: Can’t be too careful about those cold germs…they’re sneaky little fuckers. Panties are on the way.
I don’t even know how to reply, so I drop my phone back onto my desk and try to focus on the pile of work in front of me. I was making good headway on it before… No! Do not think about it. Damn him.
Somehow, I manage to finally focus on the task at hand. I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been at it when I hear a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I answer.
The door opens and Devon pops his head in. “A delivery just came for you, Layla.” He holds up a large—a very large—Agent Provocateur bag with a purple satin ribbon tied around the handles. I can’t do anything but stare at it like it’s about to explode.
Jesus, he was serious. How many did he send? That bag is huge.
Devon waltzes in and sets the bag down right in front of me. I force my eyes off the bag so I can look at him and try to deal with this.
“Thanks,” I manage to squeak out.
His lips quirk up on one side. “Still sticking with the lunch story?”
My eyes drop back to the bag. “Yep.” I can’t believe he even had time to follow through. He’s a player. Remember? He probably has a dozen lingerie stores on speed dial.
Devon bursts out laughing, “Okay, we’ll stick with that. Can I at least see what he sent?”
I snatch the bag off my desk and shove it underneath. “No. And, who said it was from him. Maybe I ordered this myself. You’ve got to love yourself first, right?”
He laughs even harder as he walks out of my office and closes the door behind him.
When I’m sure he’s gone and won’t be back, I pull the bag out from under my desk and plop it back on top. At least the man has good taste in lingerie. I’ve purchased a few things from Agent Provocateur for myself over the years, but the high price tag has unfortunately limited the pieces I own.
I stare at the bag. It’s beautifully packaged. I almost hate to unwrap it, but curiosity gets the better of me. I want to see what he chose. First, I gently untie the purple ribbon before letting it flutter onto my desk. Next, I pull out yards and yards of delicate purple tissue paper before peering inside.
What the hell?
There are dozens of pairs of panties in every shade of the rainbow. There are silk pairs, satin pairs, some have lace on them, and some don’t. One thing they all seem to have in common is that they are my exact size. I notice a second layer of tissue below the panties. When I pull that out, I see matching bras underneath.
Hmm, it appears Mr. Hendrix has a bit of a lingerie fetish. It’s just one more thing to add to the many things I’ve discovered about him today.
I pluck a lacy black pair out of the bag. The tag has been removed so I don’t know how much he paid for these. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I’ll worry about that later. I kick off my shoes and step into them, sliding the soft fabric up my legs and over my hips. They feel heavenly.
I instinctively glance up at the mirror behind my door. I can see myself from here. The reflection is light years away from the one I saw earlier. I look as sexy as I feel. It really is worth the money to invest in every item of clothing, undergarments included. I need to thank Cole for his consideration in ensuring I don’t catch a cold, and I know just how to do it.
I slip off my skirt before stepping back into my heels. Then I grab my phone and turn around. Wowzers, my ass looks fantastic in these. I snap a few pictures of my reflection and then get to work on cropping so just my bottom half is exposed. When I’m satisfied, I construct a text and attach a picture.
Me: Thank you for the panties. I’m not sure they will work on preventing me catching a cold though. They are so pretty I’m really having a hard time covering them up.
I hit send and then shimmy back into my skirt. I haven’t even got it done up when my phone dings. I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun with a man. There was Boston, of course, but that was different. It was fun in a much more intense kind of way.
I pick up my phone. I can’t even begin to imagine what he will say this time.
Cole: Fuuuuuck… As much as it pains me to say this, I’m going to suggest you put something on before I come back there and rip them off that sexy ass. Your choice. Might be a while though, because right now I can’t get up from behind this fucking desk.
Laughter bubbles out of me. I laugh so hard I have to take a seat. I picture the mighty Cole Hendrix stuck behind whatever desk or table he is seated at with a raging hard-on under his perfectly tailored pants. He mentioned that he hated losing control. This must be killing him. The only thing better would be if he is with a group of people. I was basically caught red-handed…why should he be any different.
I pick up my phone. Wow, where has the day gone? It’s already past six. I suppose I don’t have to think too hard about why it passed so quickly. I type out my final reply and hit send.
Me: I’ve heard thinking about baseball helps, but don’t worry, if it doesn’t work, my skirt is safely back in place. Good night Mr. Hendrix.
I spend the next few minutes cleaning up my desk. I order an Uber and still don’t see a reply from Cole, so I stuff my phone into my purse and head downstairs to wait. Fifteen minutes later, I walk into my apartment and take a deep cleansing breath. I love this place more every single time I walk into it. It’s become my safe haven. The one place I can really kick back and relax.
I had half expected Cole to be lurking outside my door when I got here, but that’s not his MO, or at least, I don’t think it is. He seems like more of a grand gesture kind of guy. You know, like showing up unexpectedly with Thai food and sending over thousands of dollars’ worth of lingerie when he messes up your panties.
I’m not going anywhere this evening and I have nothing on the agenda, so I change into a comfy pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. I top it with my soft, well-worn Columbia sweatshirt and a pair of thick socks. All I need now is a glass of wine and I’m set for the night.
My phone rings as I’m filling my glass. It’s Maddie. I wondered how long she would wait before seeking me out. I can’t blame her. I was more than pushy when it came to her relationship with Sebastian Croft. Turns out I was wrong about him, too. They’ve had more than their share of ups and downs, but they’ve been able to move past them all and are ridiculously happy these days.
My relationship with Cole—if you can call it that—is very different. He hasn’t broken my heart, and I plan to keep it that way.
“Hey, babe, I was wondering how long you would wait before calling.”
“ Chérie , you are so mean to withhold this from me,” she pouts through the phone.
“Are you serious right now? I seem to recall you withholding your entire life from me for almost ten years. What’s going on with me is barely a week old.”
The line is quiet for a moment before a loud sigh comes across. “You have me there, and I already apologized for that. Now, tell me everything about what is going on with Cole Hendrix and you. Last time we spoke about him, you said you thought he hated you. That was quite some time ago. What’s changed since then?”
I tell her everything that went on at the conference, and how Cole asked for more. I also tell her that I demanded a proper date, which still hasn’t happened. Then I bring her up to speed on today’s events, including the giant bag of lingerie.
“Hmm, he seems to be taking this seriously, chérie . If you don’t want to wait for him to set the date up, you could always do it.”
“No, I left the ball in his court. That’s how it works with us. If he’s serious about what he said in Boston, he needs do the work. Today was…I don’t know what today was, but it wasn’t part of the deal,” I huff out.
“Okay, got it. He has to officially set up the date. Let me ask this, did you enjoy what happened today? Because from what I could see, it seemed like you did.”
“I wasn’t expecting him. You know I don’t like surprises, but I did. I liked that he surprised me.” I chuckle as I imagine what my face must have looked like when he barged into my office. “I know it probably didn’t look like it to you, but we actually talked for the very first time. Nothing deep, just generic family and growing up stuff. It was…nice.”
Maddie scoffs on the other end. “No, you’re correct. Given your appearance, I wouldn’t have guessed you spent much time talking, but it’s nice to hear that you did. Sounds to me like he is at least trying to change your opinion of him, and that says a lot. Most players wouldn’t bother. I guess you’ll just have to wait him out for that date. Hopefully his tardiness means he is planning something amazing for you.”
I smirk. “I guess we’ll see. No one has ever done that before.”
“Maybe that’s because you haven’t let them. Maybe it’s time to take a chance. A very wise friend of ours gave me some excellent advice a while back. I’m going to pass it on to you. She said if you want to fly, you have to take the leap. I did. I wanted to fly, so I took the leap. It was scary as hell, but my feet haven’t touched the ground since. You can fly on your own, Layla; you’ve already proved that. But I’m going to tell you that it is so much better when you fly with someone else. The real question is, do you want to fly with someone else, Layla?
“I don’t know, Maddie, but I’m definitely going to think about that.”
“You do that. Good night, chérie . I love you.”
“You too, babe. Night, Maddie.”
Do I want to fly with someone else ? I can honestly say that is something I’ve never considered.