Page 129 of Collateral Damage
Harder. Faster.
More.
Our orgasms hit at the same moment, surges of explosive pleasure with such force I can’t help but scream his name. He lets out a similar roar as the moment between us intensifies, and the slapping of our bodies continues. The moment builds and builds and builds, as if all the orgasms he’d made me wait for come together in rapid succession. I lose myself as he pumps every last ounce of passion from my body.
Never in my life have I had an orgasm last that long—so long that my entire body tingles with pleasure. I lose my breath, and my mind floats away.
He falls onto me, equally sated. He stays inside me until he’s no longer hard, and there’s nothing left to do but separate. The second it happens, I miss him, aching for him to fill me all over again.
I’m sore and satisfied in the most wonderful way. Knowing I’ll get to experience that again and again has a grin plastered on my face.
“Guess I’d better expedite the new apartment thing, huh?” he says sweetly, and I laugh. If anyone with a key had happened to walk into crew headquarters tonight, they definitely would have heard us, and we’d be in even more trouble. Right now, I don’t care about that. All I care about is this man and the amazing way he handles not only my body, but also my heart.
Fifty-Four
Sybil
Present - Age 27
“Between Cooper’s father’s spy—I meanthe network’sethics consultant—and my new assistant, whohappensto be Vale’s nephew, I feel like I can’t do anything without being scrutinized,” I complain to Miriam as we navigate the busy Manhattan crosswalk. We’re going to an important vendor meeting, and now that we’re out of the office, I finally feel like I can properly whine.
“I think youarebeing scrutinized,” she laments, her white bob swishing as she walks. “I didn’t want to say anything, but while you were gone, Vale and his nephew had alotof questions about your job and mine. It seems pretty obvious Vale hopes to get his minion into the position that is rightfully yours.”
Despite the late July heat, my body runs cold. “That is exactly the feeling I get about it, too.”
“Don’t worry. I told Vale off, and let’s just say he didn’t like that very much,” she gripes. “Invited me to retire early, the ass.”
I grit my teeth. “And what did you say?”
“I told him the last thing he needed was an ageism lawsuit. I will retire when I’m good and ready.”
Which is only three months away. October has been her plan all along, but given this new information, she might want to hang on. I hate that for her; I know she’s been planning on this next stage of life for a while.
She squeezes my hand. “Don’t you worry. My job is yours. You’ve earned it. But I do wish I was the one filling my replacement and not the hiring committee.”
So Lance Vale and I are similar in that respect—we both are fighting for the roles we want within this company. Maybe it’s entitled of me, but I feel like I have a right to Laurence International. There’s nothing else I want to do more, but I don’t know if I can do it under Vale’s leadership. If they put him in as official CEO, I’m going to have to move on, which is hard to fathom.
“Here we are,” Miriam says as we enter one of the city’s finest hotels. We’re here to discuss some of the details regarding the event we’ve got booked for October’s charity gala. It’s coming up quick, but at least we’re doing all the catering and decor through the hotel, which simplifies things.
The second we enter the hotel lobby, a flutter of unease swirls in my stomach.
Miriam, the driving force behind The Laurence Foundation, steps ahead of me, her high heels clicking against the polished marble. She’s the picture of confidence, and I wish I felt the same.
The front desk manager greets us with a polite smile.
“Your appointment is for today?” He frowns, clicking on his computer. “I don’t have anything for you two.”
I let out a huff. “I confirmed earlier this week. Please go get Evelyn. I’m sure it’s on her calendar, and she’s expecting us.”
Evelyn is the events planner for the hotel.
The manager leaves us, concerned hesitation in his normally polished expression. It sends my anxiety into a tailspin.
“Good afternoon, Sybil and Miriam.” Evelyn approaches us. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
We’ve done a lot of business with Evelyn over the years. I give her a friendly smile, burying the unease in my stomach. “I confirmed our appointment, so I don’t know why it’s not on your books. We have to finish planning the details for our gala in October.”
Evelyn’s face falters—a crack in her usually professional exterior. After a quick glance around the busy lobby, she motions for us to follow her to her office.
