Taking Chances (8 page)

After a feast of sandwiches and rooting the Bulls on
to another win he reluctantly bid her good night. He tried not to wish for the
day when he didn’t have to leave her. It could all quite possibly lie in
shambles tomorrow after she had time to think about what he did.

Chapter
Six

Lydia woke the next morning excited for the day
ahead. She couldn’t wait to get to the office and see Jake. Memories of the
passion they’d shared seduced her lips into an easy smile. She rolled over, and
her nipples rubbed against the blankets, heat roaring through her veins.
Visions of Jake pulling and sucking her nipples added to the damp warmth between
her legs. Maybe she would pack an extra pair of panties for work from now on.

She slept naked, and today she was grateful. The
orgasms he orchestrated fluttered through her with their bold, all-consuming
power. Her hands roamed her body fanning the flames Jake ignited.

Unfortunately, her exploration had to stop. She rolled
out of bed and went in search of coffee before she got ready for the day
..
Jake requested her presence in his office by 8:30. The
request was a command. Her body stilled and wondered what he might do if she disobeyed.

In the shower, water slid down her body, awakening
and warming her tired muscles. It was going to be an unbearably long day. How was
she going to work with Jake knowing what he could do to her body? She never
imagined sex could be as exciting as the books she read, or that she was
capable of so many orgasms in one evening.

Jake said she had submitted. She had a general idea
of dominant and submissive relationships from books, but nothing first-hand.
Generally, she thought they’d be like 1950s style marriages, and none of those
images were pleasant. She had a strong mind and intended to be heard, well, at
least by those who knew her and she was comfortable talking to. She laughed at
herself. Nothing got her to clam up quicker than not knowing what she was
talking about.

She should ask Jake about dominant and submissive
relationships. If she hurried, she could look up a few things on-line before
she went into work and present him with a list of questions. Would he be
willing to educate her?

Jake was probably surrounded by women who were all
too eager to submit to him. She would bet they didn’t need to ask questions.
How could she compete for his attention? Tears swam behind her lids, and an ache
crept up her spine.

Anger replaced the tears. One night with a man
wouldn’t mangle her hard work. She would not let this guy into her life and leave
herself wide open for disappointment and worse, another broken heart. Promising
herself to not involve her heart had apparently gone on deaf ears.

She wasn’t the only one at fault here. Jake had
pushed her past her comfort zone.

The sad attempt to push blame onto someone else
tasted sour. She knew immediately Jake hadn’t pushed her to do anything. She kept
thinking he was at fault for something…

How dare Jake walk into her apartment and demand she
remove her clothes. His actions could be taken as rude and presumptuous.

That really didn’t work either. Nope.

His actions had heated her on contact, and she had
been more than eager. To make it all worse, it would be a lie to even dare think
she wouldn’t want to submit to him again. Their night had been magical. The way
he touched her with directness stole her breath. He’d inspired a number of new
fantasies, too. She would never forget the pleasure he brought to her body and wanted
desperately to feel that way again.

Her anger continued to flare. Was it because of her
awakening needs? Needs that now might not get met. After one night and a glimpse
at the hunger her body and mind could obtain, how was she supposed to go back
to her bland life?

She might be able to find the same experience with someone
else. Her anger deflated, but was replaced by a growing ache in her chest. What
if she was only a one night stand to Jake? Maybe she could find another to
dominate her, but she might not ever again experience Jake’s intimate touch.
The ache turned ice cold.

By the time Lydia arrived in the office she had almost
convinced herself the day before was a dream. She did remember the policy
writing project and oh, the sex. A blush warmed her straight to her toes, but
her head was in full protection mode. Prior to yesterday, Jake hadn’t given her
the time of day. Yesterday was probably a fluke, and she was certain he had
come to the same conclusion.

Her father and brother had only been good for one
thing. They taught her to never let down her guard. That’s what flared her
anger this morning. Her guard had a gaping hole in it where Jake was concerned.
Of course, neither her father nor her brother gave her any pointers. It had
been up to Lydia to discover the lesson in their betrayal. She was not going to
leave her heart wide open for some guy to trounce on and walk away.

“Hey, Lydia, you don’t look so good this morning.
Did Jake wear you out yesterday?”

Lydia looked up from her desk to see Gina smirking at
her.

“Maybe you should let me take the project over. I
can handle Jake.”

Gina had a worthy idea, but Lydia would never tell
her.

“No, I’m handling Jake just fine. Don’t worry
yourself about me. Why don’t you worry about your own job?” Lydia didn’t know
who was more surprised by her response, but Gina just laughed and sauntered from
the room.

Provoking Gina was not a good idea, but the thought
of Jake and Gina working on her project made her
want
to puke. The project was hers. Lydia sat down and hung her head. She wanted
Jake to be hers as well.

Right now Lydia needed to worry about cleaning her
inbox. She had 10-minutes to get to Jake’s office. The minutes flew, and with
the last email squared away, she ran to the stairwell in a bee-line for Jake.

His door was cracked open, and she heard voices
coming from inside. Not wanting to interrupt she crept to the door and peered
around the door frame.

Gina. Why was Gina here?

Jake stood behind his desk like a statue listening
to Gina. His brows drew together, and his hands formed fists on his hips. Lydia
wanted to step back, but Jake’s words stopped her.

“Thanks for coming, Gina, but there was no need.
Lydia’s been doing an excellent job. I’ve actually learned several things from
her already.”

His gaze found Lydia’s, and she forgot all about the
other girl in the room. That was until Gina knocked her shoulder leaving.

“Come on in, Lydia. I want to talk about a few things
before we get started today. We need to make it quick, since we need to report
to Keller at ten this morning.” When she remained in her spot he added, “Lydia,
come here.”

Not wanting Gina to take anything further from her,
she lifted her head and walked to Jake. She stopped at his desk, but felt
instantly unworthy. Gina was more Jake’s style. She fought the need to lower
her chin.

“Look at me, Lydia.”

He
pushed her. “Why?” She shifted her gaze and hit him with her direct stare.

“Thank you. I needed to see your eyes.” He reached
out and swiped a lock of hair from her face. He tucked the strand behind her
ear, and let his finger drag down her face to her shoulder. All the while his
gaze captured hers, not letting go. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m okay.”

“Okay? Hmm, maybe I should do something to improve
your mood? What would you say to that?”

“Here?” she gasped and quickly turned to look out
the door.

He grabbed hold of her shoulders, lifting her slightly
off the floor.

“Yes, here.” He brought their bodies together, claimed
her lips and swept his tongue through her mouth, awakening her sexual hunger.

She felt wanted. She felt claimed. Images from the
night before swam in her mind. Silly challenges from the office mean girl were
all forgotten. He set her down and nipped at her lower lip.

“We have a lot to do today. Unfortunately we cannot go
any further, now.” He stepped back behind his desk as casually as if he’d just greeted
the mail man.

“But you would want to?” Still looking at the papers
on his desk, she didn’t think he heard her. She took a step closer. “You would
repeat last night?”

Her words stopped him. His gaze searched her face.
Placing his hands on the desk he leaned forward and said, “Lydia, I fully
intend to further explore your body and mind. After all, there are a few places
I haven’t yet completely inspected.”

Her mind ran through what he had done to her last
night, and there was only one place she could think of. Warmth fluttered
through her face.

“Now, that is a beautiful sight.” He returned to his
papers. “I’m going to have to keep thinking of ways to shock you simply to see
you blush again.” With the papers properly sorted, his attention returned to
her. “Is Gina a problem?”

Gina was a lot of things, but she’d never thought of
her as a problem. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t be afraid to put her in her place. She likes that
more than she lets on. She’s the type to push so she can be pushed back.”

“I hadn’t thought of her that way.
Interesting.”

“Let me know if she becomes a problem.” His gaze
drilled into hers, not letting her escape.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” His posture remained controlled, but the
smirk couldn’t be missed.

She added her own version of the devilish grin,
which ignited another blush before she even spoke. “Okay, Sir.”

“Trouble.”
He
stalked towards her and ruthlessly swept his hand under the hem of her skirt to
press firmly along her panties. His lips pressed to her ear.
“Hot
and damp.”

The palm of his hand pressed on her clit, and he
bent his knuckles, sending the tips of his fingers past the edge of her panties
to drag along her slit.

“Be careful what you say to me, sweetheart, or
you’ll shatter my control.” With one last drag of his fingers, he pulled away and
walked from the room.

She turned around and watched him go. Her heart
pounded. All she could do was follow him, but she couldn’t move. The exchange with
Jake left her bones unsettled, and the all too familiar ache tried to set-up
shop in her chest. She hadn’t expected him to crave more from her, and now she
couldn’t deny he did. Was she going to deny herself the pleasure of getting to
know him?

Her heart jumped at the chance to follow him. If she
was going to feel pain at the end anyway, why not have a little more fun? Her
feet moved swiftly and with purpose.

She found him in the conference room. He’d spread
out their notes, and the project task list was projected on the wall screen.

“Not all of the policies are going to take the same
amount of time to finish. We’ve already seen that on the last two. I want us to
adjust the estimated time before our meeting with Keller.”

Her feet kept moving until she stopped beside him. She
leaned in, breathed him in deep, and kissed him on the cheek. “Sounds like a
plan.”

****

Her scent covered his fingers and kept him on edge. Memories
of the night before were a constant in his mind. Their meeting with Keller was
in a couple of minutes, and they needed to finish double-checking their estimates.

“I’d rather we give ourselves wiggle room than be
rushing at the end to finish. Keller can be ruthless when you pass the finish
date. It’s not a pretty sight.”

“I’m glad you’re familiar with his style. I don’t
normally work on projects for him.”

“I can give the presentation. He might ask you a couple
of questions, but I can do most of the talking.”

Her face relaxed, and he was pleased he was able to
help her without touching her. At least the strain on his zipper had lessened
over the last half hour. That small favor kept him level-headed.

“We’re ready. Let’s go.”

They arrived at Keller’s office and found Keller and
Anne in a death stare. Anne must have done something to get his hackles up.
Keller reserved that look for subs at the club. Was Anne finally challenging him?
He figured the girl had more patience than he did, but Keller was more stubborn
than the whole of the office combined.

When they stopped next to Anne’s desk, Keller
released his hold over her and returned to his office. Instinctively Jake
turned and found Anne back at work on her computer. She looked pleased with
herself.
Intriguing.
What would it take to put that
same expression on Lydia?

They followed Keller into his office and sat in his
guest chairs. Jake’s hackles rose immediately. Keller was watching Lydia like a
hawk.

Keller could deny his match-making habits until the
cows came home. The only reason it hadn’t landed him in the hot seat was
because no one had complained. He had a habit of forcefully nudging couples
together, and he seemed to be sizing Lydia for his next move. Jake always
figured he was using forces he refused to use on himself. Time after time, it worked
out surprisingly well, but now Keller was butting into his life, and he didn’t
want him upsetting Lydia.