12 - Elliot
Once again I’m slumped in my chair, wondering how I’ll get myself out of this one. I can’t spend two days alone with her! Everyone knows what happens at conferences. There’s a day full of talks and then it’s just a boozy evening. “Networking” or whatever they like to call it.
I have to stop myself staring at her every time I’m in the same room as her. She walked in to Stuart’s office and those curves were screaming my name. It was all I could do to keep looking at Stuart’s gnarly face. I close my eyes and breathe deep. I had to glue my hands to my thighs, all I could think of was running my fingers down her spine and over that round ass of hers.
I need to stop this. Stuart wasn’t joking around, and I’m going to be spending time alone with her whether I like it or not.
I sigh. She made me a coffee yesterday and has been making an effort to be nice to me, and what have I done? I’ve ignored her and treated her like she’s invisible. If only she knew that she’s anything but invisible to me.
I feel off-balance. My world has shifted and I don’t know how to react. Every time I look at Emma all I see is her. My Chloe. She had the same eyes, the same smile. I feel a tightness in my chest and my eyes are prickling. How can I compare them! How can I compare anyone to Chloe?! It’s wrong. It’s a betrayal.
I promised Chloe I’d take care of Gracie, and that’s what I’ve done for the past seven years. Nothing has changed except my dick seems to think I’m fourteen years old again. I’m a grown man, for crying out loud. I can control myself.
With one more deep breath I stand up and march myself out to reception. I see her before she hears me coming. She’s leaning over her desk looking at a stack of files. Her grey pencil skirt is hugging her hips and ass like it was made for her. Her curls are falling over her face and I can just see how she’s biting her lip in concentration.
Just the sight of her like that, leaning on her desk makes my cock twitch in my pants. I feel the unfamiliar thrill of desire rush down my spine and I have to grip the wall to steady myself. How does she do this to me?!
I clear my throat and she jumps a little, slamming the file she was looking at closed.
“Oh, Dr. Davis,” she says, surprised. She looks flushed, embarrassed. I try to glance over at the file she was staring at so intently but I can’t see the name. My eyes drag back to her and I feel my cock twitch again. The buttons on her blouse are straining against her chest and all I can think about is what it would feel like to rip it open and pull her against me.
I clear my throat again.
“Emma,” I start. I look away, to the floor, the window, anywhere but those eyes. “I wanted to apologise. I’ve been rude to you and you’ve been only nice to me since you got here. We have to work together and I want this conference to go as smoothly as possible.”
“Oh,” she breathes. She clears her throat as well. “It’s ok, Dr. Davis. Do you.. Do you need help preparing anything?”
“No!” That sounded too loud, too abrupt. I try to soften my voice. It’s so hard to talk to her without imagining what her skin would taste like. “No, thank you. Not right now. I might ask you to help me with the presentation once I’ve written up the content. I’m not great with computers.”
“Well!” her face brightens. “Today is your lucky day, Doctor!” I know that, I think instinctively. “Because you’re looking at the master of all things PowerPoint. I will make the shit out of your presentation!”
She sweeps her hands in a dramatic motion and poses in front of me like she’s on The Wheel of Fortune. I feel my lips betray me, curling upwards into a smile. She’s beaming and I can’t help but start laughing. It bubbles up from my core and shakes my shoulders until she’s laughing as well. It feels good to laugh. It feels good to laugh with her.
“I guess it is my lucky day,” I respond. She smiles back and then stares at me with those deep brown eyes.
“You should smile more,” she says softly. “It suits you.”
I don’t know how to respond, so I say nothing. My smile fades and I nod, turning around to head back to my office. My steps feel lighter and I can still feel the afterglow of her smile beaming at me. I’d do anything to laugh with her again.