Page 45 of A Gift of Time
I grinned before following Rick, not sure what he needed to discuss.
Was I getting fired? Demoted?
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Jack,” Rick said once we’d walked away from the crowd into a more secluded area. “When work resumes after Christmas, there’s going to be some changes around here. Big changes.”
As I listened, I tried not to let my worry show. I had one damn good poker face, so I put it to good use.
“What I’m saying is,” he continued, “You won’t be returning to your office in the New Year.” Before I could react, he opened the door to an office and stepped inside. “Because you’ll have a new one.”
Gawking at him, I didn’t know what to say. I followed him inside and moved my gaze throughout the room. After several seconds of stunned silence, I finally found my voice. “But this is the Vice President’s office.”
Rick pointed at me. “Correct. Andyouare the new VP of Marketing, Jack, if you want it. Not only can you appeal to the younger generation, but your ideas are fresh and exciting to the old as well. With your dedication to Holton the past seven years, I can say you are without a doubt the greatest asset to this company, and I’d love for you to accept this promotion.”
“I’d be honored,” I answered, wondering if this was a dream. My heartbeat sped up, and my stomach did little flips.
“We’ll settle the finer details of it when we come back from Christmas, but it’s great to have you on this team, Mr. Taylor, my new Vice President.” He clapped me on the back. “Now, let’s return to the party.”
***
Caden and I left the party around eleven that night. He’d been having fun, which was why I’d stayed so long. I had wanted to leave and spend every moment just with him, taking advantage of the time we had left, but I hadn’t said anything and instead let him enjoy himself.
When we got to the apartment, I jerked my tie to take it off and went to the room to change. He followed. As I faced the closet, shrugging out of my suit, he approached me from behind and kissed my nape.
I tilted my head back against him and exhaled, loving the feel of his hands as they snaked around my waist and tugged my hips backward. His erection poked my ass, and I softly sighed, backing more into him.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he gently thrust his hips forward again, hitting in all the right places.
“You got a job promotion,” he answered in between placing kisses on my neck. “We should celebrate.”
I preferred topping, but I bottomed sometimes. Caden was versatile, too, with a preference for bottoming. Which was why we were fucking perfect for each other. During his stay at my apartment, we’d had sex a lot—sometimes twice a day—and he’d topped me once.
Seems like he wants to again, I thought to myself as a smile crept to my face.Good, because I want to let loose and give him total control.
I faced him and pressed my mouth to his. Softly.
He returned the kiss as his hands explored my sides, playing with the clothing separating us. His tongue danced with mine, and we moved across the room to the bed.
Once we were on the mattress, we shed the rest of our clothes and came back together in another gentle kiss before deepening it.
I moaned against him as he took hold of my dick and started pumping me.
After he prepped me, put on a condom, and used some lube, he slowly entered me.
Goddammit, it stung like a bitch at first, and I clenched my jaw as I breathed through it and worked on relaxing. He wasn’t too big, but since I didn’t frequently bottom, it took some getting used to.
But then he broke past the tight barrier, and I groaned at the euphoria.
“God, Jack,” he said on a gasp. “You’re so tight.”
On my hands and knees, I reached behind me and gripped his ass, tugging him harder. With each forward motion, he hit that sweet spot, and I nearly came undone, but I held off, wanting to savor it. As he pumped into me, gradually increasing his speed, I leaned back and wrapped an arm around his head, capturing his mouth.
He kissed me as he moved in and out of my body, bringing both of us closer to the edge.
And when we fell over, we did so together.
Afterward, we lay in bed, coming down from our high. He was in his favorite spot on my chest, and I had an arm around him, pressing my lips to his forehead.
There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but he wouldn’t understand them if I did—that I loved him and was sorry for taking him for granted in the past. That I’d never let him go again.
When his breathing slowed, I held him closer and ran my fingers through his hair. My eyes were heavy, but I didn’t want to go to sleep. I only wanted to hold him to my chest and pretend everything was okay.
Tomorrow was one day closer to the deadline, and I wasn’t ready.
