Noah

Matt is awaiting trial, held without bond. It’s been three weeks since Stephanie turned him in. We’re still missing Sunday, of course, especially at the office, but more or less, life has gone on. Brazen has returned to work, and his mom has gone back to her own place.

The police came by a few days after Matt’s arrest and apologized to Brazen for the last time they were in his home. In their words, “All leads in a murder case need to be investigated.”

I sit at my desk at work, neck deep in papers. Brazen has been in and out of the office all day, attempting to handle all the fires that arose while he took the needed time away. I couldn’t even get him to sit still for lunch. Now, he’s eating cold leftovers at his desk.

“You still like living with Madison and Benson?” His question seemingly comes out of nowhere.

“Yeah, of course,” I answer. It’s been great.

“Have you ever thought at all about moving in with me?” He pushes the takeout container away and finishes the last bite of his very late lunch.

Have I thought about living with Brazen?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I’ve thought about it ten times over, but I’ve been worried he’d think it was too soon. I also didn’t want to pressure him while he had so much going on in his life.

“I’ve thought about it. I’m guessing you have, too, since you’re bringing it up.”

“Move in with me, Noah. I want to share my home with you.” He doesn’t mince his words and tells me exactly what he wants.

We are way too far from each other to have this conversation, a literal room apart. I get up from my desk and go to him. Pushing papers aside, I sit on his desk, so I’m facing him with my feet resting against his legs.

“Where’s my key?” Is the excitement in my voice affirmation enough?

Without taking his eyes off me, he pulls open a drawer and retrieves a key I wasn’t expecting him to actually have on him. It’s attached to a key ring with the charm of a pretty purple dress. I want to snatch it from him before he changes his mind, but I force myself to slowly take it from him. While I’m distracted by the shiny present, his hands slide under my dress and up my legs, so he can trace the line of my panties.

“Is that a yes? Are you moving in?”

He pinches my clit through the fabric, and I moan.

“Of course!”

He pushes aside my panties, and his fingers enter me. My head lolls back, and I spread my legs for him while pulling up my dress. With me on top of his desk, he slides his fingers in and out of me.

“Yes, Brazen!”

He expertly touches me, and I quickly unravel. The quiet office fills with the sounds of my panting and begging. Every time Brazen touches me, I lose control. He always knows exactly what I like. Throwing my arms around him, I gasp into his neck and come on his hand. I blush when he removes his fingers and inserts them into his mouth. I lean forward for a kiss. With his fingers between our lips, my tongue sneaks out, and I taste myself off him. It’s erotic and dirty, even more so in the daylight of the office. I hum around his finger.

“I need to go, baby. I wish I didn’t have to because I so don’t want to leave you after that, but I have some guys who are supposed to be meeting me down at the site.”

“It’s okay. Go!”

“When this house is finished, I’m taking you out to celebrate.”

His fingers trace my lips before he pulls away, and I straighten my dress back down over my bottom.

“I can’t wait. That house has turned out beautiful. When it’s staged, you’ll be able to get a pretty penny for it.” I was down at the job site a few days ago, and despite the setbacks, it’s pretty close to complete.

“Since you’ve been working here, you’ve learned a lot in both areas of the business.” Brazen lifts me from his desk and nibbles on the pulse point in my neck.

“Yeah, it’s been interesting. I’ve enjoyed learning about everything.”

I swat at his chest because I know he needs to go, but he doesn’t seem to be moving. He growls at me, and I giggle as I stand and take a step back toward my desk.

“Noah, have you ever thought about getting your real estate license?” He grows serious with the question.

“Not really. Is it difficult?”

“I don’t have my real estate license, so I wouldn’t know, but nothing is too difficult for you to achieve. It just matters whether you want it or not.”

My lips part, and I tilt my head, questioning, “Brazen, what made you bring this up?”

“You did so well, handling things while I dropped the ball. I’ve watched you learn everything you can while you’ve been working here. Things are changing a lot for you. You made the move to Florida. You’re going to leave the first place you’ve lived on your own, and now, you’re going to move in with me. It seems natural to think about what’s next for you for work. I love having you here, but you don’t want to be my assistant forever. I need someone to sell that beautiful house when it’s done.”

Wow.

He and Sunday built Brazen Sun from the ground up. It was their dream, and now, he’s asking me to be a part of it. His faith and confidence in me are overwhelming. His natural urge to share his life with me makes me feel adored. I love that he wants me by his side, and I want nothing more than to proudly stand on my own two feet by him.

But a pesky nagging in the back of my head wonders if it’s too soon after Sunday’s death. I don’t want to replace Sunday. I want my own spot in his life.

Still, I find myself saying, “Looks like I’d better hit the books sooner rather than later because that house is almost finished.” It’s the answer I want to give.

“You like the idea?” he asks with so much excitement in his voice.

“I love the idea.” I truly do.

“Sunday would approve of this business move.”

“She would not! She almost had a heart attack when she saw me sitting in this office.”

“That was before. Plus, I fired our newly hired assistant the night I gave you the job. She wasn’t so pleased with me when she saw someone other than the person who had gone through four interviews to get the job. It took her all of five minutes to see exactly why I had done what I did. She knew I was meant to love you.”

“You think?”

I don’t want to replace Sunday. I’d never want that, and honestly, I know I couldn’t. Their bond was different than ours but still extremely strong.

“I know, baby.”

That makes me feel good. This place belonged to Sunday and Brazen, and I never want to take away from that, but he knows her better than anyone, and if he thinks we’d have her blessing, then I’d more than love becoming part of what they built.

I’m ready to conquer real estate and be the best agent I can be.