“Christopher, I need help.” I was flustered the second I walked in the door.

“What’s up?” He stood at the kitchen counter, talking with his mouth full. He made half a sandwich but couldn’t stop eating it for one second so he could talk to me. He leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles, still in his suit.

I set my bag on the entryway table and slipped off my heels from hell. Throughout the workday, they weren’t so bad. But by the time I walked home, I was dying. I was in so much pain I wanted to take them off and walk barefoot on the defiled sidewalk of New York City. “It’s about Calloway.”

“What about him?” He took another bite, chewing loudly.

“Could you stop eating for just a second?”

“Could you wait to dump your boyfriend problems on me until I’m finished?” he countered, a smartass look on his face.

I ignored his final comment and powered through. “I’ve been seeing Calloway for six months, and I know that’s not that long, but I think I might…” I couldn’t believe I was about to say this out loud. Once I did, it would really be true. “I think I love him.”

Christopher looked just as bored as he had a minute ago. “And your point?”

“I’m not sure if I should tell him. We haven’t been seeing each other very long.”

“Six months?” he asked incredulously. “That’s like an eternity. No guy sticks with a woman that long unless it’s going somewhere.”

“I guess you’re right. But I’m not sure how he’ll react.”

Christopher finally finished his sandwich and wiped the crumbs off his fingers. “If he’s stuck it out with you this long, I doubt anything bad could come from it. He’s hung up on you, so there’s a good chance he feels the same way.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. And even if he doesn’t, he probably wouldn’t be weirded out by it. Now, if some girl said that to me, I’d be out of there faster than the speed of light.”

I didn’t see too many similarities between Christopher and Calloway, so that was good news.

“Just go with your instinct. If you love the guy, tell him. What harm could it do?”

Probably none.

“Can we wrap up the girl talk?” he asked. “I have a date with this copy editor for the Times. She asked me out at lunch.”

“Cool. What’s she like?”

He shrugged. “Hot.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Didn’t you just eat?” I asked. “Now you’re going to dinner?”

“I said we’re going on a date. I didn’t say anything about dinner.”

“Then what are you going to do on this date?”

“Fuck.” He walked out of the kitchen and headed down the hallway into his bedroom.

I forgot about Christopher and sat on the couch, thinking about my morning in Calloway’s office. He held me for several minutes for no reason at all. He ran his fingers through my hair and touched me so softly. I felt like a diamond, a prized jewel he cherished.

I felt like the most important thing in the world.

After everything I’d been through, I didn’t think I could trust someone the way I trusted him. I didn’t think I could find someone who made my heart race like this. He was everything I wanted in a partner, and I actually believed I was getting my chance for a normal life. I’d always hoped I’d meet a man as perfect as Calloway. And now that I actually had, it made my horrific past seem insignificant.

I knew how I felt. Actually, I’d known for a while. But when he touched me like that, held me like I was the most special thing in the world, I wondered if he felt the same way. He was different from how he was in the beginning. He didn’t open up to me about the man he truly was. But he’d opened up about his past, his nightmares, and his complicated relationship with his brother. Instead of feeling like a couple, I felt like a team.

My phone vibrated with a message, and I wasn’t surprised to see his name on the screen. I know I said 6. But I’m coming to get you now. Hope you’re ready.

As always, his message made me smile. I’m always ready for you.

* * *

After dinner, we relaxed on the couch in front of the TV. I was still in my dress, and my heels sat in a pile on the floor. I lay on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his deep breathing. Even though I felt his hard-on underneath me, he didn’t make a move for sex.

His hand moved up and down my back, sliding into the steep curve above my ass before he moved back up again. Normally, he tried to get me naked right after dinner, but tonight, he didn’t seem interested. “Are you doing anything on Saturday?”

“No plans yet.”

“There’s somewhere I’d like to take you.”

“It sounds like a surprise.” I sat up and looked down into his face, my hair forming a curtain over his left cheek.

“Something like that.” He sat up, moving me with him effortlessly. He kept going until my back was against the couch. His cock was hard through his jeans, and he ground against my panties as he held himself over me. He kissed my neck as he grabbed my panties and pulled them down my long legs.

My body clenched in excitement, eager to have him deep inside me. It didn’t matter how many times we’d made love, I always wanted more. I never knew sex could be this fantastic. It was stupid for me to have waited so long.

Calloway moved his mouth to mine and kissed me slowly as his fingers slipped between my legs and played with me. He rubbed my clit with gentle pressure and then inserted his fingers inside me, feeling my sticky lubrication. “Always so wet…”

“For you.”

He growled against my mouth and continued to tease me, his fingers moving farther inside me until he had me panting underneath him. “Sweetheart, I want to try something different tonight, and I know you’re brave enough to do it.”

If he wanted to tie me up again, I had no complaints. Being taken over and over throughout the night was a fantasy come true. “And what would that be?”

He pulled his fingers out then shoved his cock inside me, my lubrication coating every inch of him as he slipped inside. He closed his eyes and moaned quietly as he entered, stretching out my tight pussy for the hundredth time. “Do you trust me, sweetheart?” He pressed his mouth against mine as he spoke, his lips brushing against mine as they moved.

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. “Yes.”

His eyes darkened in satisfaction, and he thrust inside me, taking me gently, unlike the other night. He dug his hand into my hair as he kissed me, his chest pressed against mine. We breathed together, our legs tangled. Every thrust felt better than the last, and I found myself wanting to stay like this for the rest of time.

His hand trailed down my body until he moved between my legs. His fingers brushed against my thigh before he turned me to the side. He lay beside me on the couch, his back to the cushion. Our lovemaking didn’t stop with our movements, and Calloway had the skill to keep the fire going.

His hand grazed past the back of my leg until his fingers moved into the crack between my cheeks. The second I felt him, I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t push his hand away. The last time his fingers were there, the sensation felt foreign and unwelcome. But as he continued to move inside me and kiss me, it felt natural. When I came, it was harder than I ever had before.

So I guess I liked it.

His fingers were still wet from my pussy, so he inserted them into my back entrance, sliding in with less resistance than last time.

Calloway opened his eyes and rubbed his nose against mine. “If you want me to stop, all you have to do is say so.” He kissed the corner of my mouth before the passion returned, my mouth feeling numb and hot at the same time.

I explored with my hands, touching every inch that I’d already touched before. He was six foot three of pure man, but the package he wore was nothing compared to the man underneath. He was compassionate, gentle, and powerful.

I was just about to come when he pulled his length out of me.

I wanted to scream at the loss.

He looked into my eyes as he adjusted my leg, practically pinning my knee to my chest. He took control, doing whatever he wanted to my body like he owned it. His hand wrapped around the base of his cock, and he pressed the head into my ass.

Something I hadn’t been expecting.

His arm was tucked in the crook of my neck, supporting my head as he slid inside me. “Touch yourself, sweetheart.”

I hadn’t touched myself in so long I nearly forgot how.

He sucked my bottom lip and released a moan. “Now.”

I responded to his command instantly, my fingers moving to my throbbing nub. The second I touched myself, I felt the electricity. I forgot about the enormous cock penetrating me from the backside.

He continued to slide inside me, watching my reaction as his impressive dick stretched my ass wider than it ever had. “It’ll hurt at first. But it’ll get better.” He kissed me and moved his dick almost entirely within me, pushing me to the limit.

I moaned as he slid out only to slide in again. It hurt me more than it pleased me, but the pleasure on his face made me allow it. Anytime his dick was inside me, hard for me, I felt special. So I kept an open mind and let him continue, hoping it would get better as we moved along.

“Touch yourself harder, sweetheart.” He grabbed my wrist and made the motion for me, not directly touching me with the fingers that had already explored me. He used my knuckles to change the movements of my fingers, and I couldn’t believe a man knew how to touch a woman better than I did.

When I finally felt the pleasure everywhere, I ignored the pain. His massive cock didn’t feel so excruciating. The more I relaxed, the easier it was to accommodate him. The building orgasm that I felt earlier had returned, slowly approaching with a fiery crash.

“Together,” he commanded.

Even without being inside me, he knew when I was going to explode. I gripped his arm as an anchor, feeling his cock ram into me harder. I felt the climax build until it could no longer be contained. Heat surged through my body just before it hit at full speed. “Oh god…”

He gripped my hip as he pounded his cock into me, being aggressive as he pushed his seed farther and farther inside me.

The effect of all the sensations gave me a better orgasm than I’d ever had before. Being full of him in a new way heightened my experience, making me feel something so unique and oddly wonderful. The orgasm seemed to last forever, nearly an eternity.

When Calloway finished, he remained buried in my ass. Slowly, he softened, his cock gently sliding out of me. He pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes on my lips. “Thank you for trusting me.”

I was exhausted from the euphoria that had just swept through my body. I watched his lips move but didn’t gather any meaning from them. My head rested on the pillow, and I closed my eyes, aware of his cock still inside me.

Calloway grabbed the blanket hanging over the back of the couch and pulled it on top of both of us. He settled beside me, sharing the same pillow. “I don’t think I can call you Vanilla anymore.”

“I still like sweetheart.”

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, it is.”

* * *

Cynthia, Calloway’s assistant, called my office phone. “Mr. Owens would like to see you in his office. He wants you to bring the schedule for this month.”

I knew that was bogus. He didn’t give a damn about the schedule. “I’ll be there in two seconds.”

“Alright.”

I grabbed my folder and walked down the hallway to his office, sometimes wondering if people noticed I went to Calloway’s office more often that I should. I was the new girl, so hopefully, they assumed I needed extra help with my projects.

I definitely didn’t want to be known as the office whore.

Cynthia nodded for me to go inside, so I walked in, making sure to close the door behind me.

He was leaning against his desk like usual, looking like a president with the skyscrapers of the city in the background. With his arms crossed over his chest, Calloway’s shoulders looked broad and powerful. He hadn’t shaved in two days, so the hair around his face was thicker than usual. Hair or no hair, he looked equally sexy—in my opinion.

“I take it you didn’t call me in here to really talk about the schedule?” I held up the folder.

The only answer I got was a slight head shake.

I set the folder on the chair and crossed my arms over my chest, playing his game. “Then why am I in here?” We were so supposed to be professional in the workplace, but we’ve already had two slipups. Sometimes I wondered if it would be easier just to be honest with everyone.

He walked toward me and inserted his hands in his pockets. “I wanted to know how you were doing.”

“How I’m doing?” I asked in surprise. “The same as I was this morning.”

“I didn’t get to see you this morning. I left for the gym.” He was one of those fit people who woke up at five in the morning just to work out. Absolutely insane, but whatever.

“Well, you could have asked me that after work. Or even texted me.”

“I wanted to look at you.” His hands slid around my waist then gripped my ass. “And to see if you were sore today.”

I hadn’t experienced any discomfort, remarkably. And honestly, I’d been so busy at work I hadn’t thought about it much. “No. I’m fine.”

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “You’re tougher than I give you credit for.”

“Maybe I enjoyed it so much last night it didn’t hurt.”

His smile dropped, and his eyes darkened. “Yeah?”

I nodded.

“I’m glad you kept an open mind.”

“I don’t have an open mind.” If any other guy tried that stunt with me, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But Calloway was different. He’d been my one and only exception. The first time I laid eyes on him, I had no idea how he was going to change my life—in only good ways. “I just trust you.”

The darkness left his gaze, replaced by a calm softness. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” His hand moved to the steep curve in my back, and he placed a small kiss in the corner of my mouth. It was PG, tame enough that we could both pull away without ripping each other’s clothes off. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“I’ll see you later.” I turned around and bent over to grab the folder.

He smacked my ass playfully. “Later, baby.”