Pattie laughs. “I have it at my desk. Let me call Darla and make sure Elisa will be home, too. Because doesn’t she live out in the burbs? That’s quite a drive.”
Pattie and I practically run to her desk. She dials Darla’s number while I key Elisa’s address into my phone.
“Hi Darla, it’s Pattie from Cameron Publishing,” Pattie burbles into the receiver. “I’m well. How are you?” Pattie waits for Darla to respond and then says, “Listen, the board meeting went great. They’ve agreed to let Elisa stay on as an author.”
I hear Darla’s excited scream through the phone. Smiling, Pattie pulls it away from her ear. “Yeah, we’re really excited, too. There’s something else. The board has revised the company dating policy.” Darla screams again, making me smile. “Yeah, exactly. We were just wondering if Elisa is home? Robert wants to tell her the good news himself. In person, if you get what I mean.”
Darla voice returns to a normal decibel because I can no longer hear her. Pattie says “okay” a few times and then they hang up.
“Good news. Darla says Elisa is working at home today, so she should be there.”
I high-five my editor. “Thank you so much. I’m going to rock her world.”
Pattie’s face scrunches. “TMI, boss. See you tomorrow.”
“Later,” I say with a wink.
I call my driver and ask him to meet me out front as I head to the elevator. I keep a driver on call in case the weather sucks, or if I have to go to a meeting that’s more than a mile away. The driver programs the address into his GPS and says he’ll meet me out front in five minutes.
Unfortunately, the ride to her place takes forty-five minutes with the city traffic. I wish I could’ve teleported into Elisa’s apartment, but I can’t, so I settle for the long wait, impatiently tapping my foot the entire ride. Thankfully, it gives me more time to think about what to say to her.
I send my driver away as soon as we arrive. I can take the train back into the city if Elisa turns me away.
And standing there in the middle of suburbia, I feel more nervous than I ever have in my life. But I force myself to knock. There’s a rustling inside and then the door opens, revealing my beautiful brunette.
“Robert?” she says, clearly surprised. She’s wearing pajama pants and a tank top without a bra. Her nipples strain against the flimsy cotton, the same ones I’ve tasted on three occasions.
Temporarily distracted by how amazing she looks, I stare at her for too long.
“Robert?” she repeats. “What are you doing here?”
“The board met today. You’re still in the catalog.”
Elisa gasps, then jumps up and down in excitement. “That’s amazing. Thank you so much!” She throws herself into my arms. “I’m so happy. My dream is coming true!”
We pull apart and our eyes meet. Elisa tries to step back but I hold her against me. “Something else happened today,” I add on a serious note. “The board agreed to change the dating policy at Cameron Publishing. That means, if you’ll have me, we can be together.”
Elisa’s eyes roam over my face, hungrily and yet with tenderness. She must find what she was looking for because she crashes her lips onto mine, pulling me into the apartment and slamming the door simultaneously.
She pulls away for just a second so that she can say, “Don’t worry, my door locks automatically. No one will interrupt us.”
I lift her so that her gorgeous legs are around my hips and walk her toward where I assume the bedroom is. I don’t make it that far. I pin her against the wall and attack her neck.
“Yes,” she moans as I find the sensitive spot behind her ear.
My hand finds the doorknob, and I push the door to her bedroom open. I toss Elisa down on the bed and yank off my shirt.
She giggles as she stares at my chest. “We’ve never done this before.”
“Oh yeah?” I say, removing her tank top. I kiss her breasts, working my way to her nipples. She moans when I suck on her satin skin, no doubt leaving a mark. I like the idea of branding her as mine. “I seem to remember we’ve done this a few times.”
“Never in a bed,” she giggles breathlessly.
“I plan on doing it in a lot of places,” I rasp. “Starting with your bed.”
She giggles again, and I return my attention to her nipples. Her breasts are extremely sensitive. Elisa unbuckles my belt and pulls down my slacks. I return the favor and remove her pajamas. For the first time ever, we’re both completely naked in a bed together.
I could get used to this feeling.
“I believe we were in the middle of this when we were rudely interrupted,” I growl.