SOPHIA
What is with these guys? Nick has been shy since I’ve been around, compared to the others anyway, but it’s like there’s a collective effort to keep me at arm’s length. Is it because my dad’s gotten suspicious?
Oh no. If he even thinks, something is going on with one of his friends and under his roof, I’m toast. I’m worse than toast! I’ll be stale, burnt toast. I chew my bottom lip, but my eyes flick up, and I see Neal watching.
It almost feels like he’s protective of me, which is mildly weird since we haven’t had a real conversation, but maybe he’s just curious. I can’t really blame him for that either. How many people come in, get hugged by the big, bad CEO, given title of office manager, then go around and shadow all of the bosses?
I steady myself against Nick’s car. At lunch, he makes me laugh, his fingers brush mine every now and again, and his focus is entirely on me – much to our waitress’s frustration. I’ve seen her undo no less than three buttons and practically pour herself in his lap, but he doesn’t waver.
“Sophia, how are you dealing with all the changes? Not to mention having to deal with one of us every day this week? That has to be … exhausting.” He smirks slightly, something that is way too sexy for him to be allowed to do.
When he’s nervous and giving me space, letting me take the lead, I feel in control, I feel … a whole lot. But with that smirk, I’m swooning and trying to figure out how I can get my hands on him again.
I could make an excuse to spar with him. This time wearing short shorts instead of leggings so we can have some skin-on-skin contact. But that’s too obvious. Although, I did like holding him down, being the one that took charge.
“Soph?”
“Oh. Sorry. It’s a lot. My brain must be overloading.” I pat my head and shrug. “It’s still there, so I think I’m safe for now.”
Nick chuckles. “Well, you and I are almost done. My job’s not nearly as complicated as the others.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I had much more to do in the beginning, but we have a strict policy in place about harassment. Whether it’s sexual, bullying, online, zero tolerance. Once a report is substantiated, the person is gone. It eliminates a lot of problems considering it’s something we’re known for.”
Nick takes a bite of food, and I nod. “No wonder so many women work with you guys.”
His eyes flick up to mine, and I see the question written there. I shrug. “I’ve had other jobs where it was kind of … bad to say something. Sure I’ve been groped and had to deal with … awful jokes and forced to laugh because the other side of that would be a mark on my report saying I like to start drama or that I’m too sensitive, or that I have too many complaints.”
Nick offers me his hand, and I take it happily, lacing my fingers through his. His eyes focus on mine, and instead of feeling small and vulnerable like I’m used to, I feel empowered. I feel like he has my back and would support me if I decided to throw a chair at some asshole who grabbed my boob while walking by.
“You never have to fear that with us. The whole company is going to take care of you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Eh, the people who run the company.” He chuckles.
His thumb rubs across mine, and my thighs clench. I’ve been on edge all week, begging for release, and getting myself off just isn’t the same. I need to be touched, need to be fucked hard, need to be slow fucked, I need something from one of these guys.
Maybe Nick is the right one. He’d let me have the lead. But he’s also … such a rule follower. I know Roman would take me the second he sensed a chance. They’re all so … much. Intense, wild, reserved, a million different things across these four men, and I don’t have a clue who to pick, mostly because I want them all.
“Having a flashback?”
“No. Buffering.” I laugh. “Like a computer.”
“I’m not that old, Sophia. I know what buffering is.” He chuckles.
The waitress comes back, looks at our hands all intertwined, and bites her bottom lip. She forces a fake smile and nods. Then she looks at me. “What site do you use to catch a man like that?”
“Site?”
“I didn’t want to say anything, but I could use a sugar daddy.”
“Oh, we’re not.” I know I’m bright red. “That’s not what this is. He’s a friend. That’s all.”
“Mmhmm. Sure.” She winks at me as she takes the check and walks away.
Nick missed the whole thing escaping to the men’s room. He takes me home instead of back to the office, saying that I’ve learned enough for today and that he can’t disclose private files, even if he wants to. And I definitely didn’t miss the wanting in his eyes.
I slip into the house and kick off my shoes. I start tugging at my dress, frustrated with how tight it is when I catch movement in my peripheral. Swallowing and looking up from where I have undone buttons nearly to my belly button, I see Holden.
He looks me over and his gaze goes from passive to carnal in a heartbeat. I take a hesitating breath, then swallow. I could make it to my room. Although I kind of love the idea of him chasing me, catching me, and tossing me on my bed.
“Hi.” I breathe.
Holden crosses the space between us, mumbling something about fucking the rules, then pushes me against the door, locking it quickly. I shiver as his body presses to mine. The hard planes of his chest rubbing against the lacy fabric of my bra to tease my nipples. Shivering, I slowly look up the long column of his throat to his face.
I feel every breath he takes, feel his thigh as it wedges between mine, then he strokes through my hair and along the back of my neck, raising goosebumps, hardening my nipples, and soaking my panties.
“Holden.” Is that my whimper?
“Pay more attention when you get home.” His voice is sharp.
I almost flinch away, but there’s something so … magnetizing about his gaze that I can’t break the spell he has on me. My lips part, and I fight the urge to close the space between us. This is Holden, not Nick. I don’t have control here.
“I’m … sorry.”
One of his fingers follows the curve of my breast lazily, a slow stroke that sets my skin on fire and has me grinding against his thigh. Holden brushes his nose along mine, and his tongue strokes his bottom lip, a tease.
“You’re making it very hard.” He rasps.
I stroke his sides, not able to stop myself. I don’t know if he’s talking about his cock, this living situation, or what. But it seems stupid to ask. Not that it stops me. “What’s hard?”
His lips turn up slightly. “Remembering that nothing happened between us.”
“Is something going to happen?”
He gauges my expression, then nods very slowly. I swallow. “Good.”
That does it. Holden presses against me entirely, so I can feel how hard he is against my belly as his mouth brushes mine. He’s gentle, but his tongue is sure as it slips between my lips to tease mine with gentle flicks and strokes.
I melt and give in. I’m so tired of resisting what I want. So tired of pretending I don’t want him, them, any of this fucked-up-ness. I lick Holden’s tongue, and he groans into my mouth. I rub myself on his thigh, needing some kind of friction, no matter how juvenile.
Holden reaches inside my bra and circles his thumb around my nipple, a tease considering how tight and hard it is. Even the lightest flick of his fingertip across it sends tantalizing sparks racing through my body to pool in my pussy.
I gasp and bite his bottom lip, trying to drag him back to me, needing more of this. His hand tightens in my hair, and he renews the kiss, licking deep as his fingers pinch my nipple until I whimper and arch my back into his hand.
How silly is it that just making out with him has me on the edge of coming? Holden’s mouth slides across my jaw, nipping and kissing his way to my ear. The rush of his breath makes me shiver and cling to him all the tighter.
“You have no clue what you do to me.” He growls before biting my earlobe.
I groan and stroke down his body. No one will be home for a while. We have so much time. We won’t get caught. No one will know but us. A dirty secret to end the what-ifs I play in my head every night.
“Fuck.” I pant, head falling back to give him more room to kiss.
He takes advantage of what I’m offering, licking across my neck and exhaling so I feel the chill that comes with him not touching me, kissing me, being wrapped around me. He kisses across my neck, hungry and demanding but moving constantly.
I groan and roll my hips again. He tugs my nipple, then squeezes until it’s almost painful, but not quite. When his tongue strokes the pulse point on my throat, I dig my nails into him. Then I go for his belt.
All at once, Holden stops. He slowly draws back and presses his forehead to mine. “What are we going to do with this?”
I give his belt another tug, but he releases my nipple and grabs my wrist. “No, baby.”
“But I’m …, and you’re. What?” I demand. “But we …”
“I know.” He kisses me softly, his tongue soothing my bottom lip. “We almost went too far.”
“Not far enough. I want you, Holden.” I say, sure.
My skirt is pushed up to my hips, and I know he can tell how wet I am. He’s had his hand in my bra, his tongue in my mouth, and his thigh rubbing my pussy, and now we have to stop?
Holden takes a slow breath, but something in his searing gaze tells me why. Because if we cross that line, there’s no pretending it didn’t happen. We can’t erase it as a silly ‘almost.’ We can’t say it’s a lapse in judgment.
I wrap my arms around his neck, and Holden adjusts me, carrying me to the kitchen while I try to cool my burning cheeks. He sets me on the counter and turns around. I push my hair back. “I just ate.”
But instead, he hands me a glass of wine. I look at it and him, then swallow. “Why did you tell me no when ….”
“You wanted to forget.”
It’s that simple to him? That because I couldn’t stand thinking about our first kiss with my dad coming home, he wouldn’t touch me again, wouldn’t kiss me again? I see his cock straining against his jeans, and the ache between my legs gets worse.
Wine isn’t going to fix this. Neither is masturbation. I need relief. I don’t care if it breaks the rule anymore.
“I don’t want to forget now, Holden.” I murmur before finishing my glass in one go.
His eyes flick to me, then hold. “Repeat that.”
Swallowing, I straighten my back and undo another button. Then another. Holden watches until he turns and grabs my wrists, holding them against the counter. We’re both panting when our eyes meet.
He looks across my breasts and belly, then to my raw lips. “Repeat it.”