Chapter 4
Charlie
By the time the plane touched down in Helsinki, it was the next morning. Thanks to a two-hour layover, a delay, and a fucking massive time difference, I felt like I’d been up for the past two days straight. I grabbed my laptop case and walked with L off the plane, and I worked my way to my suitcase before we headed for the taxis out front. L was standing by a limo, obviously waiting for me, but the only thing I could do was gaze out over the city as the snow slowly began to fall.
The outside of the airport was smattered in snow, and the flakes that fell from the sky reminded me of the powdered sugar my mother used to sprinkle on her homemade lemon squares when I was a child. I smiled and turned my nose up towards the snow, giggling as the flakes melted onto my cheeks, and for a split second I’d forgotten what brought me here.
I’d forgotten about the business trip and my boss waiting for me by the limousine. I’d forgotten how tired I was and how much my legs ached in these heels. All that had been instantly replaced by my wonder at how exotic this place was.
Well, compared to the likes of Miami, anyway.
I sighed and opened my eyes, a smile gracing my cheeks while L simply stared at me. I blushed underneath his gaze before he nodded me over, and I knew we had to get to the hotel and settle in. I was ready for a hot shower and a bed to lay on, but I was even more ecstatic to find that we had the next couple of days to ourselves.
“Enjoying Finland?” he asked, as we settled into the limo.
“I’ve never been outside of Florida before, so yes,” I said.
“Never?” he asked.
“Never,” I said.
“Well, welcome to the rest of the world,” he said, grinning broadly. I could feel myself shivering, even though I pulled my coat closer around my body, and for a split second I thought I’d seen L steal a look at my legs. I could only imagine how ridiculous I looked, standing in the snow with a pencil skirt on, but his voice soothed my nerves and confirmed what I’d hoped would be true.
“There are plenty of shops for you to buy suitable clothes over the next couple of days. Get yourself some warmer clothes. This is supposed to be the warmest day that we’ll have while we’re here, and you’re freezing.”
“I’ll make sure to do that,” I said, “thank you.”
“And don’t be alarmed by how long it stays dark in Finland. Most of the country—”
“Only sees around six hours of daylight in the winter,” I finished.
“I see someone’s done their research,” he said.
“Always,” I said.
“But, not enough research to know how to pack properly?” he asked.
“Never been outside of Florida, remember? Plus, I didn’t have all that much notice, and cold weather business clothes aren’t that available after six pm in Florida.
“Oh yeah. That would be my fault. Well, Michael’s really. So, have you ever been in the snow before?” he asked.
“Nope. This is my first time even seeing it.”
I watched the snow fall to the ground outside as we pulled into the hotel. By the time I got out of the car, L had already pulled my luggage from the trunk, and we quickly got checked in before we parted ways. I opened my hotel door and stepped into the most luxurious suite I’d ever encountered in my life, and I squealed the moment I heard the door shut behind me. I slammed my suitcase down and ran for the couch, flopping onto it before I sat up and looked out the window.
The porch deck of the hotel was covered in snow, and it looked absolutely beautiful.
I couldn’t put off shopping any longer, so I pulled my coat closer to my body and grabbed my purse. I exited the hotel and walked up and down the streets of Helsinki, shivering like a maniac until I came across a store that caught my eye. The fabrics of the sweaters in the window looked divine and the even catered to sizes I could fit my thighs into, so I dipped into the store and shook the snow off my body.
I turned around and looked back at the scene unfolding in front of me and my eyes couldn’t get enough of the snow. I’d honestly never seen it in person before, and the way it blanketed the town was nothing short of a fairy tale. People were laughing and holding hands with their matching hats and scarves, and the coats the women wore were high-fashion and made of the smoothest material I’d ever seen in my life.
I really was in an exotic paradise, and a massive smile crept across my face before a voice piped up beside me.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It really is,” I said.
“Your first time here?” she asked.
“That obvious?”
“By your wardrobe, yes. Can I help you with anything?” she asked.
I told her that I was here on a business trip, that I’d never left the States before, and that I had no work pants or sweaters I could wear. She scrutinized the coat I had on, saying I was coming into Finland on the helm of their first true cold snap, and in no time, she had shoved me into a dressing room and quickly taken my measurements. She tossed over silky sweaters and thick pants, pairs of boots and awe-inspiring coats. I tried them all on while she coached me through what looked good on my waist and what would help keep my cleavage covered in a den full of men. By the time she was done I had several bags to carry back to the hotel.
I had found just the right shop to help me with the outfits I needed to rock the hell out of this trip, and as I was walking out of the store a mannequin donning a beautiful suit caught my eye. It was a navy suit with beautiful blue pinstripes, and the striped blue was the same color as L’s eyes. I reached my finger out to run them down the strips, envisioning his smiling face in my mind, but the woman’s voice pulled me from my thoughts before I could shake myself from my trance.
“If you need anything else, just give a call. We’ve got your measurements, so we could have pieces pulled for you by the time you get here.”
“Thank you so much for all your help,” I said. “I feel so much better now.”
“Good luck with your meetings!” she said.
I walked through the cold of Helsinki and it gave my body a chance to cool itself down. I had to forget about my boss and get him out of my fucking head. Ellison James was the author of the strictest ‘no office relationships’ code I’d ever seen in my professional career. I’d seen him fire everyone from interns to customer service technicians over them striking up office romances, and rumor had it that the V.P. of sales, Sheila Brown, was intentionally shrugged off from a few projects because of her crush on L.
He was relentless and unwavering on his policy, so I had no right daydreaming about his eyes while I was on a business trip for him. He was strictly off limits, and there was nothing anyone could do about that.
I dropped all my bags on the floor in the hotel and decided to get down to business and go through the back half of that file. I sat down and pulled a small wine from the minibar in the suite and cracked it open so I could get to work. My eyes scanned through numbers and jotted down things in a notebook that I needed to memorize before I went to sleep, and by the time I was done, my legs were aching badly from the position I’d been sitting in.
My body was in needed of a break, and I knew just how to make that happen.
I picked up the phone and ordered room service as I flopped onto the couch. I kicked my heels off and shimmied out of my bra, and by the time the hotel kitchen brought me the fruits and chocolate fondue I’d ordered, I was feeling comfortable already. I opened up another small glass of wine while I enjoyed the succulent fruits of Finland dipped in smooth, velvety chocolate, and thinking how nice the accommodations were, an idea crossed my mind.
This hotel had a pool and a sauna, and both of those would help ease my aching muscles.
I didn’t have a bathing suit, but here in Finland people were known for going into saunas with nothing but a towel on. I’d seen a couple of people venture in and out of the sauna half naked while I was coming and going with my shopping, and I decided it probably wouldn’t hurt. Half of the people coming out of those saunas were hairy beasts anyway, and my worry melted away when I realized the luxurious towels in the bathroom could easily wrap around me twice.
So, I grabbed one, changed into some more comfortable clothing, and found my way to the sauna.
I took my clothes off in the dressing room and placed them in a locker, then I wrapped the towel around me and started for the sauna. There wasn’t a specific designation for men or women, just a line of steam saunas that looked to be completely empty. There was one that had a decent amount of steam wafting against the window, so I slowly peeled it open and slipped in just in case someone was already inside.
The heat of the room instantly relaxed me and the dim light set a mood that beckoned for my eyes to close. I tiptoed over to the wooden bench and sank my back into it, sighing when I felt the heat of the wood penetrate the sore muscles of my body. Even with first class seats, the flight from Miami to Helsinki had been brutal, and the only thing I could think about was the steak I would order for dinner, as I sank into the wet wood of the sauna room.
Just as I went to shift, I opened my eyes and realized I wasn’t alone. There was a man sitting in the corner, leaned back just like I was, with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. His body was chiseled, the beads of water and sweat dripping down the ripples of his abdomen, and I couldn’t help but stare when he stretched his legs out and the towel slowly fell from his waist.
My eyes raked down his body and over the meaty muscles of this thighs, drinking in his beautiful body before my eyes stopped upon a tattoo on his inner thigh. It was a weird little thing, and I found myself staring as I tried to figure out what it was, but the moment the towel fully fell from his body my eyes locked onto the man’s cock that was now bared for the entire sauna to see.
My jaw dropped when I saw the sheer girth of his cock and something in my stomach lurched as I watched the condensation drip off the tip of it. Holy fuck, this man’s body was chiseled like an Olympian god’s, and every single part of me wanted to reach out and touch him. I wanted to flutter my fingertips over his eight-pack abs and lick the sweat right off his beautiful thighs. I wanted to kiss his tattoo up close and get my plump lips around that obvious monstrosity he called a cock.
But then, a voice I recognized hit my ears and my gaze whipped up to the same blue eyes I’d been daydreaming about earlier.
“Holy shit, I’m sorry,” L said.
However, the gaze he held me with was anything but, and I found myself speechless as I gazed into the eyes of my naked boss.