Page 53 of Addicted

When I made it into the office, I gave Bill a wave, adjusting my briefcase on my shoulder.

“Hey there,” I said, giving him a smile.

“Denise! Good morning,” he said.

I nodded, pressing my palm against the scanner and heading up.

A few people were already in the office. I gave tiny waves as I made my way to my desk and threw everything on top before heading over to Hugh’s office.

I knew what I was going to say when I got in. I’d been thinking about it for hours. All the right ways to frame it, to explain my thought processes and how I got to my conclusion. When I walked into his office, I shut the door behind me.

Hugh looked impeccable in his black shirt and… I knew that tie. It was one of the ones he’d used to tie me down that night. The gold sang against the black and it felt perfect for him. He looked up from his computer and took a deep breath.

Before I could stop myself, I walked over and plopped right on the edge of the desk to look at him.

“That’syourtell.”

He slowly looked from the desk to me before he spoke.

“My tell?” he said, looking distracted.

“When you’re nervous or you feel uncomfortable, you take a deep breath, like you’re looking to gain strength from that little bit of extra oxygen.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared.

“You left before me,” I whispered, surprised that I sounded hurt. And I guess I had been, which seems silly in retrospect. It’s not like I didn’t know where to find him.

“I figured you needed space.” He still wasn’t looking at me. So, when I threw my carefully thought out plan out the window, he wasn’t expecting it.

Grabbing the edge of his chair, I pulled him forward. I swung my legs around, straddled his hips and kissed him.

I swallowed his sound of surprise and swept my tongue past his lips, tasting the espresso on his tongue, inhaling his scent as he shook off his surprise as he grabbed my waist and pulled me closer, meeting every twist and turn of my tongue, matching the beat of what I was building between us.

I wanted him to feel what I felt when he kissed me, engulfed me, surrounded me in warmth and made me feel his affection. My body always awoke when Hugh was near, but I didn’t explore his body, I focused ontightening my hands around his neck and feeling his pulse start to race, just like mine.

When I broke the kiss, we were both breathing hard, desperate for oxygen.

“Denise, you need to—”

“Shut up. You already talked. Now, I get to talk.” I spoke the words against his mouth, my lips faintly caressing his.

“Was Curtis able to walk away? Stand up and leave that apartment?” I knew the answer to the question, but I needed him to hear himself say it.

Hugh nodded.

“Use your words.” I demanded.

I felt his hands flex against my thighs.

“Yes,” he replied.

“You are Hugh. Not Switch, not Huey. Hugh.” I was looking right at him, I needed him to see that I saw, that I understood.

“This weekend was amazing. I want more like it.”

He sucked in a breath, and I continued on.

“I have questions. Gaps that need to be filled. But, I’m not holding your past against you.”

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