Page 9 of The Butterfly Effect
She turned her head and looked in my direction before averting her attention back to her team and saying something. When she slid her chair back and stood up, she moved slowly and deliberately towards my office. I wanted to fuck the unmistakable smirk off her face.
Her knock on the door was short and firm, and I sat back in my seat with my hands crossed. I took a breath and gathered my composure before speaking. “Come in.”
The door creaked open, and she walked in. The confidence on her face made me want to see if she’d keep it if I had her get on her knees. She wore simple gray pants and a lower cut white shirt with a jacket. I wanted to rip the buttons open, and I let my gaze linger on her perky chest when I looked over at her. The small smirk still sat on her lips when I made it back to her face, but a subtle blush colored the side of her neck. She didn’t wait for my invitation before making herself comfortable in the chair across from me, crossing her legs and letting her foot hang.
I waited to see if she’d break the silence, but when she didn’t, I cleared my throat. “You look nice today.”
She adjusted herself in her seat across from me, fixing the lapels of her jacket. “Thank you,” she said quietly. Was it common for her to wear something this revealing to work on a Tuesday?
“Great Lakes Brewing wants to meet with us tomorrow. Might I suggest a slightly lessinvitingtop for the meeting?” I looked pointedly again at her now slightly heaving chest.
She covered her chest with a hand. “Excuse me?” A fire burned in her icy eyes, and she narrowed them in my direction. “Just because you’re staring doesn’t mean my shirt isinviting.”
“I beg to differ.” I stood up from my chair and took a few steps towards where she sat. “A shirt like that makes me want to fold you over this desk and see if I can get you to scream my name again.” I held her gaze, taking another step towards her, and the blush from her neck started to spread in her cheeks. A satisfied smile pulled at the side of my mouth for a split second before I returned it to its normal stoic line.
I stepped behind her and ran my hand across her back. She choked on her breath and cleared her throat, but she didn’t speak. Her glare when she turned her eyes to meet mine was equal parts heat and distrust, and I grinned at her. When my hand was on her shoulder, I put my other one on her chin and tilted her head up. I leaned towards her neck to whisper against her ear, and when I got close enough to inhale her sweet scent, she shivered.
“Breathe.”
She took a gasping breath, which turned into a slight moan at the end. I ran my lip across her neck and stood up straight as she shuddered beneath me. My dick twitched, and I actually considered ripping her shirt open before I stopped myself.
“That’s not fair,” she retorted with a breathy voice, clearing her throat and sitting up straight.
“I don’t know what you mean, Julianna.” I half chuckled, propping myself on the edge of the desk in front of her. I crossed my arms as she let her eyes move over me.
“Yes, you do. Don’t bullshit me.” Her lips were pursed when she spoke, and she uncrossed and recrossed her legs. I could sense her arousal, her frustration stemming from the wet rush that most likely dampened her panties.
I looked at her and waited, part of me hoping she was going to give in and let me take her again in my office. I imagined throwing her over my desk and hearing her whimper. She’d begged for more in my bed the first time, and she would do so again.
“Tell me,” I urged her.
She glared. I was always the boss, and I always had the upper hand. Most people in my life had already come to learn that about me and learned it a lot quicker than she had. The people who were able to tell me otherwise were few and far between, mostly my father and my older brother. Julianna was doing what she could to push that and to see where she could place herself on that spectrum. By the looks of it, she thought she was going to make it into the select group. It was a shame I’d likely have to break her heart to show her otherwise.
“I’m not doing this,” she said, standing up sharply. She rested her hands on her hips, and she heaved frustrated breaths. “If you want to talk to me about work-related things, I’ll stay. Otherwise, I have plenty to do.”
I held her gaze, frustrated with her stubbornness. When I didn’t respond, she turned around quickly enough for her wavy hair to whip over her shoulder. I caught a whiff of the lavender in her shampoo and the sweet honey of her skin, and my dick throbbed. She had more control over me than I was willing to admit, but I would get it back.
Julianna closed my office door roughly behind her, her hips quickly swaying side to side as she stormed back to her desk. She sat down, dismissing her team’s inquiries with the wave of a hand, and she turned to glare at my office door. I doubt she knew how clearly I could see her through the window. This was going to be a fun game. The thing Julianna didn’t know was that when I played, I always won.
My laptop screenglowed in front of me on the counter, still showing the blank document that had to be finished before the meeting tomorrow afternoon. I stared at the nearly empty glass of red wine in my hand and groaned before grabbing the bottle and filling it to the brim again. The bittersweet wine trailed down my throat, leaving my mouth dry, and I convinced myself a bottle of wine when I was working on a project didn’t make me less professional if I was drinking it at home. At least I wasn’t drunk at the office, as tempting as that would be right now.
I dropped my head into my hands on the countertop and was holding back the burning tears threatening my eyes when my front door opened. It was pretty common in our circle of friends for us to just let ourselves in, and Katie sheepishly slinked towards me. She had a bottle of wine, her typical offering, in her right hand.
“Looks like you got started without me.” She picked up the empty bottle from next to me, tossing it into the recycling bin. “That rough, huh?”
It wasn’t shocking that she had come over tonight, especially with wine. I had brushed her off after the meeting in William’s office, and she knew I was flustered. She was probably feeling the same pressure about the meeting tomorrow, even if she wouldn’t be trapped in the room with the client and the one-night stand she’d shamelessly fucked before he became her boss.
“I thought I’d find the answer at the bottom. I didn’t.” I gestured to my laptop and the blank word document, mouthing a sarcastic but silentta-da.
The room was fuzzy, but not the spinning kind of fuzzy, just enough fuzz to make the light seem filtered. Katie laughed and opened the bottle she brought, grabbing herself a glass from the cabinet and pouring generously. I lifted my now half-full glass and killed it in another large gulp before holding it out to her to fill it up.
“So, are we going to talk about it?” she asked once we were both armed with a full glass.
I let out an exaggerated sigh and slammed the top of my laptop shut. “Why the fuck does he have to be the new CEO? I mean, comeon!”
She shrugged, leaning on the countertop. “Maybe it’s a sign that you shouldn’t have left his room in the middle of the night. What if you’re supposed to be with him? What if it was more than just a one-night stand?”
“Katie, no. He’s such an asshole! I’m pretty sure he’s just playing games with me at this point, so he can see how far he’s able to push me before I quit.” I groaned into my glass as I took another sip.
