Chapter 17

Terri

TGIF.

I made it through another week.

So when five o’clock came along, I strode into Mick’s office.

“Hey,” I said, peeking my head in. Janet was nowhere to be seen.

Mick was on the phone. He shooed me away with a cross look on his face. Well, fuck you too, buddy. I was going to come clean and let him know that I didn’t have a date. So if he wanted to come over for another tragically nerdy date, I was going to ask him to game with the guild tonight. But apparently his phone call was more important. Fine. I was going out to par-tay. I’d find a club and go dancing by myself.

Picking up a sack of burgers and fries first, I let myself in to Billy’s apartment. “Hey,” I called. “I brought dinner.”

Tossing the food on the table, I wandered into the living room.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?” I asked, flicking on the switch.

Billy blinked up at me. “I must have fallen asleep.”

His crutches were just out of reach and his wheelchair was overturned. My heart hammered. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He stretched, not looking at me. “I had a bad day, that’s all.”

He could have called me. I would have come over. I gathered up his crutches and brought them over to him along with righting the wheelchair. Sitting down next to him, I asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shrugged. “Not much to say. Took the pain medication.”

“Good for you.”

“No, not good for me. I got dizzy and I fell out of the wheelchair.”

“Oh my God, did you pass out?”

“No, but I was so weak. I managed to crawl to my crutches and get to the couch and I was okay for a while. Then I had to do my homework so I went into the bedroom to get my stuff and I fell again. Smashed my laptop.”

“Are you bleeding?” I pushed a lock of hair from his forehead, but he flinched away. “Did you break anything?” I patted him down.

“Will you stop?” Billy said. “The only thing that’s broken is my computer.”

I went into his bedroom and saw the machine. It was in a few pieces. Collecting it up, I came back out to the living room. “You did a number on it, but I’ve got friends in the IT department. We’ll probably be able to save the hard drive and what’s on it.”

Billy shrugged again. “Won’t do me much good without a computer.”

“You can use mine,” I said, biting my lip. “Just don’t log in as me for Legends.”

Narrowing his eyes at me, he asked, “Why not?”

“Because I’m asking you to.” I did not want him to see the chat logs between Yrsa and Starkad.

“Okay, that’s nice of you. But don’t you need it?”

“I can borrow one from work until we figure out what to do with yours,” I said, placing the pieces of the computer into my computer bag. Reaching in, I handed him my laptop and plugged it in for him. “I got you some White Castle? Are you interested?”

He gave me the first smile of the day. “You’re the best.”

After we ate, I helped him to the bathroom and left him there while I cleaned up. “Are you going to play in bed?” I asked him. “Or do you want to come back out here?”

“Bed,” he called out.

I set him up and plugged him in by the bedside table. I made sure his crutches and his wheelchair were in reach. “I’m going out,” I said.

“With that guy you won’t introduce me to?”

“No.” I pushed down a little pang of hurt. “I told you that he’s my boss and we were talking work that time.”

“You always kiss your boss?”

“That was before he was my boss.”

“Last week, you told me your boss might sleep over.”

“Well, he didn’t,” I snapped. “And I’m going out. Alone. To a nice club.”

“Be careful.” Billy frowned. “I wish you’d go with some girls from the office.”

“Yeah, me too.” Another thing I refused to feel hurt about.

“Are you sure you don’t want an early night?”

“Do you want me to stay?” I said. “Because I will.”

“Not for me,” Bill said, shaking his head. “For you.”

“It’s been a while since I went out dancing.”

“Yeah, me too,” he deadpanned.

My face flushed. “Oh my God, I didn’t mean…”

“Gotcha.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“Don’t drink and drive.”

“I won’t.” I helped him to bed.

“Call me when you get home.”

“I will.” I tucked him in.

“Don’t leave your drinks unoccupied.”

“I won’t,” I droned as I left the bedroom.

“Do you have condoms?” he called out.

“I won’t need them,” I yelled back—like I wanted to have that discussion with my brother. After that debacle with Mick last week, I bought a pack and put them in the drawer in my bedside table. Trudging upstairs, I took a quick shower and then stood in a towel for half an hour glaring at the contents of my closet. I had nothing to wear that looked cute. Nothing like what those girls were wearing in Mick’s VIP lounge. They wore saucy sequins and lacey slips that just covered their bits. I had nothing fancy. In the end, I settled for my LBD that had seen better days and put on a pair of shoes that would have me limping in a few hours. After a heavy hand with the makeup brush, I thought I could pass to get into one of the clubs.

I was wrong.

Leaning up against the wall, I could see the velvet rope. But I wasn’t getting any closer to getting past it. I scrolled around through Facebook and checked in via Foursquare to see if someone—anyone—I knew was around. No one. I should give up and try another club. It was still early. But I was determined. Of course then, he had to show up.

Mick Wentworth.

He had ditched the suit and wore a tight black T-shirt and black jeans. That big earring sparkled and he was sporting some killer leather boots. Calypso, his tattoo, was the only girl on his arm. I shrank back into the crowd, but something must have caught his eye because he did a double take.

Busted.

Striding up to me, he took me by the elbow and walked me to the velvet rope where—of course—we were let right in.

“Hello to you too,” I said after we passed the bouncers. I didn’t want to sass him before we got in and have to go wait in the back of the line again.

“You looked a little bored.”

“I was. You always help out bored girls?”

“When they’ve got tits like yours.”

“You’re such a pig.” I shook my head, but secretly I was glad. I took his arm and rubbed those tits against them. “Just for that, you’re buying me a martini. A girly pink one.”

“I’ll buy you a mixed drink. But if you want a martini, it’s going to be clear.”

“And stirred, not shaken.” I rolled my eyes.

“Unless you want a dirty martini,” he said in my ear.

I shivered. “That sounds rather naughty, what’s in it?”

Mick’s hand rested on my hip and I shamelessly pressed into him. “Olive juice.”

“Really? That’s disappointing. No, I’ll have a Slippery Nipple.”

His eyes darkened. “I’d like to give you a slippery nipple.”

“Or a Sloe Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall?”

“It wouldn’t be slow,” he said. “How about a Blow Job?”

“Are we talking about a shot or are you propositioning me?” I was on board for either or both.

“Yes.”

Pushing me to the bar, he held me to him while he ordered my shot. The warmth of his body made me want to slide all over him like a cat in heat, but I managed to control myself. He ordered a tequila shot for himself. He shook some salt on the lemon slice.

“Been one of those weeks?” I asked when he tossed the shot back. My eyes were riveted on his mouth when he sucked the lemon.

I sipped on my drink. It was frothy and yummy.

“That’s a shot, sunshine. Drink up,” he said and snapped his fingers at the bartender for another one.

“Stop that shit.” I grabbed his fingers. “That’s so fucking obnoxious.”

He grinned. “Sorry, force of habit.” He tipped the bartender a fifty, and two more shots, one for him and one for me, arrived in record time.

“I want to enjoy this one,” I protested, licking the cream off the top.

His fingers tightened on my hip and I inched closer.

“There’s more where that comes from.”

“What’s gotten into you?” I asked. “You were all grim and pissy when I left work and now you’re smiling and you’re drinking like we’re celebrating something.” His eyes were almost manic with glee.

“We are. I just closed a deal that I’ve been working on my whole life.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You started this deal while you were in diapers.”

“Pretty much.” When he licked the salt off his knuckle, my knees went weak.

“So this is a coincidence,” I said, clearing my throat. I finished my shot and another magically appeared in front of me. “You finding me here.”

“No, it’s not. You pretty much broadcasted where you were all over social media.”

My mouth dropped open. “You stalk me on Facebook? You don’t even have my number.”

“Of course I have your number.”

“Then why don’t you call?” It was out of my mouth before I thought better of it. The Slippery Nipple was making my tongue slippery.

He smoothed his hand down my back. “Maybe that’s going to change now.”

Tilting my head back, I looked up at him. “What exactly happened today?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Let’s dance.”

I slugged down the shot in time so I didn’t have to take the shot glass with me. Mick pulled me out onto the dance floor. It was loud and hot. The music was driving and the lights flashed all different colors around us. I might have been a teensy bit tipsy because I didn’t protest as Mick’s hand on my ass pressed me into his erection. I also might have ground for all I was worth against him.

“Why did you come out tonight?” I asked in his ear.

He took the opportunity to bite my neck gently. His beard scraped against the tender flesh of my neck. I was about to shove my hand in his damn pants if he didn’t quit it.

“I wanted to see if you were up to a trek in World of Legends.”

Rubbing against him, I lost myself in the dance and his words. He had wanted to geek out with me tonight.

“But this is good too,” he said.

It was more than good.

The music slowed down and I was all but fucking him on the dance floor.

“What do you say we get out of here? I’ll bring you back to my place.”

Tempting.

I enjoyed the feel of his body against mine. Was I going to sleep with him? Oh, hell yes. There wasn’t a doubt. Did I want to do the walk of shame tomorrow back to the house? Did I want to call Billy and explain where I was? Oh, hell no.

“Why don’t we go back to my place? I don’t have a laptop because Billy broke his and I’m letting him use mine, but I’m sure we could figure out something to do.”

Taking my hand, Mick kissed my palm and then placed it on his cock. I gripped his hardness through his pants. Oh, yeah.

“I thought you were worried about having an affair with your employee,” I said.

“I was.” Mick reached up and cupped my breast. He thumbed my nipple and I moaned. “But things have changed. Perhaps we can be discreet.”

Did I want this? I closed my eyes for a second. He was offering a booty call and nothing more. Just straight sex without a relationship. A small pang hit my heart and my brother’s words came back to me.

You deserve better.

I did. But I also didn’t have time to be a good girlfriend or work at a relationship. Mick was convenient and sexy as hell. “I could fall in love with you,” I blurted out. What the hell had been in that Slippery Nipple anyway?

He grinned like a little boy getting a new Nintendo for Christmas. “Let’s get out of here. I promise to keep my hands off you until we get to my condo.”

I nodded, and he propelled me out the door. “Wait, I need to stop off at home and drop off my car. I parked in the garage over there.” I pointed across the street.

“I can’t wait that long.” He kissed my neck. “Give me the keys and I’ll have someone drive your car to my house.”

“I wanted to pick up some clothes.”

“I’ve got that covered.”

“How? How do you have that covered?”

“You’ll see. I had some time to plan this.”

I wanted to see. I wanted to throw caution to the wind and have this night with Mick. “Okay,” I said.

“Thank you,” Mick said when we were in the car and speeding down the highway.

“For what?” I asked self-consciously, remembering the last time we were in the car together. This time, I was keeping my panties on.

“Simon and I bought out my parents today. The Wentworth Agency is now just him and me.”

“That’s great. What about the…uh…other thing? Did Simon put the million dollars back?”

“Warren, our father, is still going to trial. We decided not to negotiate that point, but mostly it was because Laila didn’t come through with the money.”

“Yeah, she’s not too happy with me right now.”

“That reminds me.” He snapped his fingers.

I glared at him.

“Starting Monday, you’re a full-time permanent employee of the Wentworth Agency instead of a contract employee. Your health benefits start immediately, and you can add your brother on as a dependent if you want.”

All the air left the car. I couldn’t breathe. “My schedule?” I managed to get out.

“Stays the same. You’ll report directly to Simon from now on. He’s your boss. I’m your co-worker. Aside from Lemmingware, we won’t be working on any other clients together.”

“W-why?” I managed to get out. I couldn’t believe this. Did he know how much money I would save having health insurance?

“Don’t cry. This is contingent on you not crying.”

I giggled and sniffed back the waterworks.

“I was a dick.”

I raised an eyebrow. What had been in those tequila shots?

“Once I saw how good you were, I should have immediately converted your temporary contract to full-time. But I didn’t, because I was selfish. I wanted to fuck you more than I wanted you to work for me.”

I winced. That was honest. “What changed?”

“You changed me. I enjoyed your company. I admired your intelligence and your work ethic, and you helped Simon and me cut all ties with my parents today.

“Warren gave me the same sob story about the loan shark that he gave Simon. Only Simon had to pay him on Thursday. Warren had wanted me to pay him today.”

“Three million each?”

“Yeah. You were right. We have receipts placing him in Vegas a day before the theft. He hid them well, but I had a forensic accountant work overtime to dig them out. That evidence has been passed along to the prosecuting attorney. In any event, he was looking to flee the country with the six million. That was my guess anyway.”

I was dumbfounded. “And your mother was all right with that?”

“It was probably her idea. Anyway, after Janet took the picture of Simon comforting you, Laila pulled her family funds. Simon could only get a million five together. On such short notice, I also could only get a million five. So for once in our lives we worked together. I get my parents’ shares. He gets to be CEO of the Wentworth Agency and I get you.”

I wasn’t sure how I played into the negotiations, but I liked the outcome. “You gave up being the CEO for me?”

“I’ll still try to call the shots every now and then. But I like being an ad exec. Simon wanted more responsibility. Who knows? It might work out. He might fuck it up. But I’ll be there either way. In the meantime, my parents are out of our lives. We met with them yesterday and gave them a take-it-or-leave-it deal.”

“They took the money?”

“And ran. Their house is abandoned. Their cars are gone. I don’t know if they left together or apart, but they’ve vanished. Good riddance. Part of the deal was they aren’t allowed to initiate contact with either of us ever again. Today, it was all official.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing his arm.

Mick shook his head. “No, you don’t get how toxic they are. It’s best this way.”

“So if this is a good thing, why were you so angry on the phone in the office?”

“Oh, that.” Mick rolled his eyes. “Laila wants me to fire you.”

“What? Why?” I couldn’t lose this job. Not now.

“Because she thinks you’re fucking around with her husband.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her you were fucking around with me.”

I held my cheeks in my hands. “Oh boy, so much for keeping it quiet.”

“Now it’s just an office romance. While taboo, it’s not illegal unless I tell you something ridiculous like your bonus is dependent on giving me head.”

“Is it?” I asked.

“If it was, you’d make more than Simon and me put together.” Mick reached over and slid his hand up my dress.

My heartbeat was thundering in my ears, while my pulse sped up. “So this is a romance?”

“Well, it certainly isn’t a Western.”

“So much for the reverse cowgirl position I had in mind.”

“I’d rather see your pretty face while you bounce on my cock.”

“See, I was going pervy and you had to go all sweet. I swear there was something stronger than tequila in that shot.” Mick’s hand was warm on my thigh. I wanted him to stroke me, but I wanted to finally be in a bed with him inside me more. So I was going to play it as cool as possible. “I’m not used to you being so nice.”

“I’m not a nice man. I could give you the psychological bullshit that my parents made me who I am, but that crap only goes so far. Once you move out of the house, you have to own your shit. I never really wanted to be nice. Nice guys get taken advantage of and they never get the girls.”

“That’s not true,” I protested.

“Is your brother a nice guy?”

I could see where he was going. “Leave Billy out of this. Oh, that reminds me, I should text him. And you need to come over for dinner soon so he can give you the third degree.”

Mick shrugged.

Mick—my former boss, now boyfriend—is taking me to his place. He’s sending someone to drop off my car. I’ll see you in the morning.

Billy shot back: Be careful. Call if you need me to come kick his head in.

Smiling, I slid my phone into my purse. “Besides, Billy has Maeva.”

“Cyber sex doesn’t count.” Mick snorted.

“So it didn’t count when we did it?”

He tickled the inside of my thigh and I squirmed away. “That’s true,” he admitted. “The girls I’ve been with just like to party, get laid, get presents, and get gone. If I didn’t have the money…”

“Or a big cock,” I interjected before he could.

“Exactly. If I didn’t have them, I’d be cybering a lot more.”

“You didn’t even know about cybering before you met me,” I scoffed.

“You have corrupted me. I was but an innocent choirboy when you seduced me with your frothy drinks.” He held a hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. I liked this side of him. I took his hand and intertwined my fingers through his.

We pulled up to a gated community and Mick left the car with a valet. He handed my keys to another man in a livery uniform. “Please pick up the gray Honda Civic in the Frontage Garage.”

“Level B3,” I said, wondering if he would need the license plate number.

“Bring it back here and put it in my extra spot.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man actually bowed to him. No wonder Mick was such an authoritarian ass. He had people kowtowing to him all over the place. Taking my arm, he led me through a lobby and then into a gilded elevator.

“There are cameras in this one,” he said with a touch of regret, as I blushed.

He inserted a card into a slot and the elevator shot all the way up to the penthouse. The doors opened into a spacious living room with hardwood floors. Whirling around, I couldn’t get over all the room he had. “This place is amazing.”

“Come see the view.”

One wall was a large window overlooking the Hudson and downtown. “It’s beautiful.”

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my forehead. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Leaning back against him, I let the weight I had been carrying on my shoulders slide off. I had a full-time job with health benefits that allowed me a flexible schedule to take care of my brother. I had a new boyfriend, who was fantastic in bed. Or at least, I assumed so. We never actually had sex in a bed. Billy was going to start his new clinical trial soon and I was going to a trade show in Vegas.

“Please tell me I’m not dreaming. Or if I am, please don’t wake me up.” I turned in Mick’s arms and kissed him. He tasted like tequila, salt, and lemon. I devoured his mouth. My dress hit the floor after he unzipped it and slid it down my hips. I stepped out of it as he backed me against the window.

I yelped as the cold frame hit my back.

“Sorry,” he muttered and went back in to continue the kiss.

I ducked it. “Bed?”

“Right.” He gave a soft chuckle and led me by the hand to his bedroom. Kicking off his shoes, he started unbuckling his belt. “Make yourself at home.”

Crawling onto the king-size bed, I peeled off my too-tight shoes and wiggled my toes.

“Feet hurt?” he asked, grabbing one and massaging it.

“Oh, yeah.” I stretched and let him rub his thumbs all over the sore spots. I moaned and arched my foot so he dug deeper.

Mick slid his hands up my legs and peeled off my pantyhose, taking my panties with them.

I reached back to unclip my bra. He paused with his pants half open and inhaled sharply as my breasts bounced free.

Climbing onto the bed, Mick kissed me and then moved down to my breasts. I laid back and enjoyed the sweet worship of his mouth and fingers. Tugging him on top of me, I wrapped my legs around his as I wiggled against him.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I grumbled, pulling his T-shirt over his head. Rolling off me, he shucked off his jeans. Finally. Finally. We lay naked together. Pressed closely, his body fit into me perfectly. My nipples, sensitive from all the attention he paid them, rasped against the hair on his chest, coiling a frisson of desire down to my clit. His erection branded my thigh and I rolled my hips to get him to move it between my legs.

“Fuck me, please. I need you inside me.”

“So Yrsa,” he said, kissing down to my breasts again. His tongue strummed over my taut nipple and I gasped. Mick nipped at it and then smoothed the slight ache with a deep suck.

“Oh,” I cried out, suddenly reliving the naughty moments on our computer.

He stroked his hand down my stomach and I shamelessly opened my legs for him.

“You better fucking have condoms,” I gasped out when his fingers entered me.

Mick’s dirty chuckle almost brought me to orgasm. Moving over to my other breast, he flicked my clit. “All you want.”

Clutching his shoulders, I moved my hips up to meet his questing fingers. He fingered me fast. I clamped my legs shut to keep his hand there.

“Yeah,” I gritted out. “Oh, Starkad, fuck me.”

“I seem to remember this going a little differently in the game.” Mick blew cool air across my heated chest and then licked down to my thighs. Shifting on the bed, he parted my thighs and rolled us both, so I was on top of him. Before I could moan, he yanked my hips down and spread me open. When his tongue speared into me, I grabbed hold of his cock and angled it into my mouth. Awkward at first, we found a rhythm where he licked my pussy and I deep-throated him. Moaning around his cock, I shook as he sucked on my folds and teased my clit.

More. I wanted more. I bobbed my head up and down on him and then let him slide out of my mouth. I concentrated on licking circles over the head of his penis while stroking him. His fingers dug into my ass and his moan sent vibrations through my core.

“Coming,” I screamed and ground down into his face when the thigh-shaking orgasm crested over me. I rubbed my breasts over his throbbing cock and wiggled to be released. But he kept flicking his tongue as I writhed and cried out. I sucked him back into my mouth and kept him there, lost in the frenzy of pleasure he was giving me.

“Enough,” Mick ordered raggedly, slapping me on the ass.

I whirled on him, but he pushed me flat on my back and knelt between my legs. He put on a condom while I played with myself.

“I wished I could watch you do that while we cybered,” he said.

“You could have. I wanted you to.”

“I can’t get enough of how you taste.”

He took my fingers and stuck them in his mouth, sucking on them. Then he plunged his cock inside of me.

My toes curled. “Yes. Oh. Fuck. Yes.” He was long, thick, and hard. I lunged my hips up to meet him. More. I needed more.

Mick had one hand on the headboard and the other hand holding my ass as he fucked me hard and fast. My breasts bounced. His eyes roamed all over me. I felt beautiful, sexy, and more aroused than I ever had been.

Shivering all over, I lost control as each thrust of his big, powerful body claimed a part of my soul. I came all over his cock as he pounded into me. My fingers dug half-moons in his ass. He slid out of me and I gave a small sound of protest before he flipped me over on my hands and knees and continued his relentless assault.

“Nice and deep,” he groaned, slamming my hips back against his.

My fingers dug into the sheets as the slap of our bodies started me on another round of orgasms. I was begging him for more when he shouted and held me tight against him. I felt the rush of his orgasm and panted in reaction. Kissing my back, Mick slid out of me and disposed of the condom.

I was having a hard time remembering my name. Tucking us both under the covers, he gathered me close. “Stay here tonight?” he murmured.

I had strength enough to nod my head.