Taking Care of Business

Within seconds, she was as hot as she’d been before the elevator doors had dinged open. Good God, she was insatiable! “This is nuts,” she said against his mouth.

“I know,” he agreed, as he obviously forced himself to slow down. A moment later, they were looking at each other, their mouths apart, but everything else entwined.

“The thing is,” she said, struggling to put words to the feelings colliding within her, “I’ve been working so hard for a really long time. Not only at my business, but before that, just to make it to Chicago to start.”

“You don’t have to explain anything,” he began, but she shook her head.

“I need to. You need to understand. It’s been going badly for a while now. We’ve fought hard, but it didn’t work. We’re going to have to close.”

She saw sympathy warm his eyes. “That’s why you’re leaving,” he said.

She nodded. “But then, wham, there’s you two months ago. No talking. No work. Just desire. And suddenly I feel good, you know? I’m not thinking about work or bankruptcy or anything. Just you and me.”

“Bodies without pressure.” He released a rueful laugh. “I understand. Believe me, I get it.”

“I don’t want to lie to you,” she said. “I just want to feel good for a while. Like I’m on top of the world.”

He let one of his hands slide down. Within a moment, he was gripping her hips, pulling her gently forward to press against him. God, he was just as hot and hard as she’d remembered. As she’d lived and breathed in her fantasies for two months now.

“I’m okay with feeling good,” he said. “No connections, no relationship. In fact, that’s exactly what I want right now.”

She took a deep breath, amazed at her own boldness. “I have condoms in my purse.”

“I’ve got some, too,” he said. Then he slowly touched her chin, tilting her face up toward him. “I’ve got a clean bill of health, and in case you’re wondering, I’ve never done this before either.”

Relief flooded through her. He could be lying, but she didn’t think so. “I’m clean, too.” She didn’t say more. Just looked into his eyes while her heart beat faster and faster. She saw his nostrils flare and felt his body tighten as he slid his hand into her hair to cup the back of her head. She didn’t think it was possible, but he suddenly felt bigger to her, stronger, more demanding. It was exactly what she wanted from him and she willingly gave herself over to it.

Their kiss was explosive. He thrust his tongue into her, exploring every inch of her mouth. She surrendered to him, opening herself up as never before. With other men, she was always thinking. What did that kiss mean? What did she want? Where was their relationship going—did he fit into her life plans?

But there was no thinking this time. She knew there was no future between them. And with that worry gone, her mind surrendered to the joy of the experience. Sam’s kiss was all about pleasure, and she wanted to live every moment.

They toyed with each other for a while, their tongues tangling, their mouths fused together. Before long, Julie found herself impatient to touch him. She pulled at his T-shirt, trying to work her hands beneath the soft cotton. He let her, and her fingers soon slid across the rippling planes of his abs. And while she was glorying in the exquisite feel of his body, he gently backed her against the wall.

She hit the paneling with a soft thud, made all the better because he was pushing between her thighs, his penis rubbing her just how she liked it. Then he kissed down her neck, and opened her sweater again. Her nipples were tight, her skin so sensitive to the slightest brush of his thumbs or lave of his tongue.

He teased her left breast with his tongue, sucking it into his mouth where he nipped at it. She bucked at the incredible sensation and was startled to find that he’d already undone her pants. The fabric was drooping off her hips, and she pushed them the rest of the way down. Now that the rules were established, she was not going to hold back. She wanted him inside her. So she lifted his face, her breath too short to say much.

“Condom,” she gasped out.

He grinned and hooked his hands behind her thighs. As he straightened up, he lifted her as well. Not far, just enough to perch her bottom on the railing as he wrapped her legs around his hips. Perfect! She got to watch the play of muscles across his chest as he twisted slightly to pull a foil packet out of his back pocket. A moment later, he’d popped the button on his fly and his erection sprang free.

He was big, just like she knew he would be. And while he fumbled with shaking hands to open the foil, she was able to touch him. She measured the length of him, stroked the velvet head, even rolled her thumb across the bead of moisture and wondered what it would be like to taste him.

She didn’t get the chance. He touched her wrist, stopping her motion. “You wanted pleasure,” he rasped. “That’s going to shorten it for both of us.”

She nodded and let her hand drop away, enjoying the sight of him suiting up. And again, she marveled at how easy this was. Her blood was humming, her heart was beating so fast, and a gorgeous man was moments away from fulfilling a fantasy she’d dreamed a thousand times. It didn’t matter what had gone on earlier in the day. Failing business or not, this moment was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She smiled and was startled to find him looking at her, his eyes a dark chocolate mystery.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she answered. “That’s the whole point.”

He seemed to take that at face value as he slowly leaned in to kiss her again. She met him halfway, enjoying the feel of his lips, the play of his tongue against hers and the way his hand slid down her belly to the cotton of her panties. Then she broke the kiss, gasping at the shock of sensation as his thumb rolled over the fabric to stroke her clit.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said.

“Do a woman in an elevator?” she asked.

“Nope,” he said with a grin. “This.” He brought his other hand up to the edge of her panties. She watched in surprise as his forearms bunched and the elastic snapped. A second later her underwear was in shreds and he tossed it aside. Julie bit back a gasp while a silent thrill shot down her spine. So, okay the clothing had been old and probably easy to tear, but it didn’t matter. The sight of his muscular arms ripping away her clothing sent her libido into overdrive.

“You are so hot,” she murmured.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” he said. This time, nothing barred him from stroking his thumb over her clit.

Her legs tightened and her back arched. And soon, oh God, please let it be soon, she was going to feel more than just his fingers. She was so enthralled with the idea that she began to move against his thumb, rhythmically circling around his hand.

“There’s so many things I could do to you right now,” he murmured.

Yes! She thought. Anything. Everything!

“Three weeks,” he said in an almost conversational tone. “No dates. No relationship.”

“Yes,” she said. Those were her terms.

He nodded as he shifted his hips, positioning himself. “I’m good with that,” he said. Then he finally, wonderfully, thrust deep inside her.

She groaned in delight as he filled her. She was impaled, held pinned—and half lifted—on his cock, and it was perfect. In fact, she had to lift her knees up along his hips to accommodate him. Never had she felt more thoroughly possessed.

Then he began to thrust. Powerful, deep, masterful penetrations. The rhythm was slow at first, but strong enough to feel all the way to her spine. She gasped at every slide. She arched her back, letting him go deeper, wanting to feel as if he completely filled her body.

And then the pace increased.

Her belly tightened. Her orgasm burst through. She came in a wave of pleasure. And still he thrust into her, pushing her even higher. Harder. Stronger.

Then, suddenly, he slammed forward as he convulsed inside her. Shudders wracked his body, adding to her pleasure. She gripped him tight, wanting to feel every pulse of his orgasm.

Oh, God! Yes!

SAM SLUMPED TO THE SIDE with a groan. He didn’t so much intend to move as simply not fall over. How had this miracle happened to him? he wondered vaguely. No ties. No awkward relationship issues. Just the hottest sex ever. For three more weeks. Thank you, God!

Julie was stirring by his side. He opened his eyes to see her stretch languidly as she slid off the handrail and stood. She was still wearing her black heels, and wasn’t that the greatest sight ever? Then she smiled at him, her eyes all vague and misty, and he rapidly changed his mind. That was the most gorgeous sight ever.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” he murmured.

She dimpled prettily at him. “I feel like I just swam in a lake after a long, long drought.”

“I feel like I drowned in that lake,” he countered.

She arched a brow and the expression was mischievous. “Well, perhaps I can give you a little CPR.”

He released a laugh which was really more of a gulp for air. “Give me a minute. I’m pretty sure that the dead will rise again.”

“I think.” she said as she stroked her hand across his chest, “… that I’ll wear a dress tomorrow. Something with a swirling, flowing skirt. And really high red heels.”

“It’s alive!” he cried. And yes, the thought of Julie in a flirty dress with red stilettos had him fully resurrected.

She laughed as she glanced down at him. There was coy flirtation in her gaze, but he also caught a flash of anxiety. Then she turned away to pull up her pants.

Worried, he straightened up from the wall. “Julie …” he began, trying to think of something to ease the awkwardness. “I know this is unusual for both of us, but that doesn’t have to make it weird.”

“I know,” she agreed. “And it was great. Really, really great.”

“Yeah,” he echoed. But then he didn’t know what to say and she flushed and looked away. He went back to putting himself to rights, while she readjusted her sweater. Within a moment, she had everything tucked, hooked and tied back in place. Except for the slightly flyaway lift to her hair, she looked every inch the business professional. If it weren’t for her torn panties on the floor, he might wonder if he’d imagined the whole thing.

She must have seen him glance at the plain cotton. “Oh,” she gasped as she reached down.

“I got it,” he said. And he did. He grabbed them before her, balling them tight then stuffing them into a pocket. He didn’t allow himself to think about how depraved that was, grabbing and keeping her torn underwear. “So,” he murmured. “You’re leaving in three weeks.”

“That’s when my lease here is up,” she said.

He swallowed, a tightness forming in his belly. It might have been anticipation, but he didn’t really think so. Three weeks didn’t seem like long enough. He’d built up seven weeks’ worth of fantasies about this amazing woman. But that was all the time she had. She was leaving the state.

“Right,” he said, though inside he begrudged the very idea. “A dress tomorrow.”

“And red heels.”

He arched a brow and attempted a wink. “I can work with that.”

She winked back. It was a quick movement, almost unnoticed because she was turning away from him. But he saw it and he liked it. A woman who winked. And then she pushed the Stop button back in. Except, of course, the elevator didn’t move. His phone was in control of the lift.

She pulled the button out again, then pushed it back. Nothing happened. “So,” she said, “how do I start the elevator back up?”

“Hold on.” He’d been scanning the area for his phone, finally sighting it on the floor next to the first glass panel. He picked it up and thumbed it to life. A few taps later, the elevator hummed into motion.

“And here I thought it was the Stop button,” she said, her voice laced with humor.

“You have no idea how hard that was to arrange,” he returned.

Her musical laugh was the last thing he heard before the doors dinged open on the garage floor. She stepped out. He would have followed but she stopped him.

“No need,” she said, pointing to her beat-up Camry. “I’m right over there.”

She didn’t want him following her. He dipped his head in acknowledgment, but he still thumbed the app on his phone. The elevator froze open.

“I’ll just wait here to make sure you get into your car okay.” He shrugged. “I want to be your only stalker tonight.”

She nodded again, and he saw relief in her expression. “Thanks.”

Then she turned away and crossed to her car. He watched her the whole way, waiting until her car pulled out of its spot and drove down the ramp.

Three weeks. There was a lot he could do in that time. But only if he got busy right now.

5

JULIE PIROUETTED IN HER apartment. There was almost no room between her bed and the walls, but she did it nonetheless, loving the feel of her skirt swirling out from her legs. In truth, this was a spring dress meant for being flirty and fun. Bold white-and-red flowers covered the light cotton material. It was definitely not intended as a work outfit in the fall. But she paired it with a severe red jacket—which made it warm enough—and do-me red pumps which made it perfect for her promise to Sam.

She stopped her spin, and her skirt twisted back down around her legs. It took only a moment for the fabric to settle, but it took her mind a lot longer.

Was she really doing this? Was she really going to have hot office sex without thought to a relationship? To the man?

Yes! Or rather … maybe. After all, she did know something about Sam, even if she was trying to pretend that he was anonymous Elevator Man. Beside the obvious physical attributes—tall, strong, pecs of steel and extremely nimble fingers—she knew he was thoughtful enough to bring condoms and make sure she got to her car okay. She knew he was employed at a regular job, and that he had the sexiest smile—half challenge, half predator. When they’d met in the elevator—not just last night, but for the last seven weeks—he’d been there looking for her.

It wasn’t PC. From one light, she could think of it as creepy. Except that she had invited him to stalk her. She had wiggled against him, let him touch her breasts, and then shared a great deal more long before last night’s events. And boy was last night an event! God, she’d never orgasmed so intensely or so long in her life!

And then there was that other moment. It was bizarre, but she couldn’t forget when he’d looked at her face, touched her cheek and said, “You’re so beautiful.” It sounded like a line, but it hadn’t felt like one. His eyes had been wide, as if he were looking at her for the first time, and there had been surprise and awe in his voice. Awe. For her!

If only she had the time to get to know him better, to find out if they could have more than just hot times in the hallway. But the minute she thought that, she mentally shied away. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. In fact, she wanted the polar opposite. She wanted a distraction from her life, from the fact that her glorious foray into big-city advertising had ended in inglorious defeat. Web Wit and Wonder had failed. All that was left was to gather up her broken dreams and go home.

Under those circumstances, who wouldn’t want a wild, meaningless fling in the elevator? Especially if it resulted in orgasms that went on forever! But she couldn’t forget that it was only a distraction. That as fun as it was to wear do-me heels and a flirty skirt, she still had to cancel her accounts, close up the office and pack up her things.

Her eyes teared at that thought. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at her cell phone. She had to call her parents. She had to tell them she was coming back home and ask if she could sleep in her old bedroom. She had to confess to all and sundry that little Julie with the big dreams was really only suited for writing hardware store ads and sale announcements for the quilting society.

Her step was a lot less jaunty as she left her tiny apartment. By the time she had made it to her Camry, though, she was thinking of other ways to drum up business. Was there more marketing work somewhere? Their company was web based, specializing in internet advertising. But maybe there some print work to do. Maybe someone would hire them for newspaper advertising. By the time she pulled into her spot in the garage, she had to sit for ten minutes jotting down a list of places to check and things to do. If it weren’t for the click of her heels on the garage floor, she might even have forgotten Sam.

She glanced at her watch. She was behind her usual schedule because of the extra time she’d taken to dress. The elevator doors swooped open, and she quickly scanned the interior. He wasn’t there. Just three men in business suits and one jeans-clad engineer from the robotics company. The sight of his faded denim and loose tee made her flash on Sam’s attire last night and she smiled. Then she was surprised as the engineer gasped and colored all the way up to his ears.

Oops. Apparently, thinking sexy thoughts had made her into a walking sex kitten. She consciously toned it down, turned a blank face to the closing elevator doors, and tried to think about her to-do list. If nothing else, that would sober her right up.

But she couldn’t do it. Instead, her mind wandered over what she and Sam had done in this very elevator. Weirdly, she didn’t linger on the waves of ecstasy, but on the moments leading up to orgasm. There was power in his voice. Or maybe the better word was self-assurance. As if he daily commanded people to do things, and they automatically obeyed. She certainly had. Sure he’d made jokes about being in the service industry, and he certainly dressed the part of building maintenance, but truthfully, the job didn’t fit the feel of the man.

Sam had a strength about him, a confidence in his ability to arrange the world to his choosing. She responded to that power in him. She liked that he was masterful and that he had chosen to master her.

The elevator doors slid open and she had to walk down the long hallway to her office suite. The place was well lit, the security cameras hung discreetly high. It was one of the reasons she’d picked this building. The security was first-rate but still unobtrusive. So unobtrusive, in fact, that she usually forgot all about the cameras.

But she looked at them now with new eyes. Was Sam using them to watch her? Was he sitting in his coveralls, his large hand wrapped around a coffee mug, while he followed her on some monitor? The very idea gave her a little thrill.

She glanced up and down the hallway. At the moment, there was no one here. Very well then. He had left her high and dry in the elevator this morning, perhaps she’d get a little revenge. She walked until she was in perfect alignment with the camera nearest her office door. Then she “accidentally” dropped her purse.

She took her time leaning down to pick it up. She bent from the waist, keeping her legs straight and her butt high. The camera would have an excellent view of her bottom, long legs and do-me pumps. And then, when she picked up her purse, she let the edge of it catch the fabric of her skirt. As she lifted up the bag, her skirt went with it.

She waited a moment, straightening equally slowly as she pretended to root in her purse. Inch by inch, her full thigh was exposed to the camera. It went all the way up to the edge of her thigh-high hose and the red lace garter that matched her do-me heels. Then she pretended to discover her mistake. A shift and a wiggle later, and her skirt fluttered back down in place. Show over. Except for one thing.

She twisted to look directly up at the camera and winked. Then she strutted—yes, strutted—her way into her office. Sure, she had a mountain of details to mow through. Sure, she had a daunting pile of bills and a tiny pile of possibilities. But for this moment in time, she felt silly sexy. Who knew flashing a security camera could be so much fun?

SAM STARED AT THE MONITOR, his morning coffee forgotten amidst the press of his sudden, rock-hard erection. He’d meant to just glance at the monitors. He’d meant to drink his coffee, wait for Julie to get to work and then prepare his notes for this morning’s meeting. Nothing earth shattering.

He hadn’t counted on her doing a bend and wiggle right in front of the camera. How had she known he’d be watching for her? He’d been doing so for weeks. She’d never before given any indication that she even knew the camera was there.

Well, she had now! And he had the boner to prove it. He pressed the button to rewind the recording. He shouldn’t torture himself, but he couldn’t stop. In superspeed, she backed up out of her office, retrieved, then dropped her purse, then backed into the elevator. Another button push and she was moving forward again, this time in slow motion.

Step. Step. Pause. A glance at the camera. Right there was when she’d figured him out. And then … the show.

Oh, God, she was even more glorious in slow motion. And what was that on her creamy thigh? He froze the image and zoomed in. Red lace. His mouth went dry and his hands clenched with the need to touch her. He was going to drag that lace down her leg with his teeth!

“Welcome to the depressing Thursday report,” Roger said as he sauntered into the lab.

Sam slammed his hand down on his keyboard, instantly shifting the screens to CNN. He’d tied his personal bank of computers to the security system after his very first elevator encounter with Julie. But that didn’t mean he wanted to be caught peeping by his CFO. His Everest-sized hard-on was a little more difficult to hide, but he swiveled in his chair and pulled in tight to his desk. Let the paper-strewn monstrosity cover his own monstrosity.

Pasting on a fake bleary-eyed look, he peered over his coffee mug at his best friend. “You really ought to find a better way to greet your boss this early in the morning.”

Roger was undeterred. Dressed in a gray suit, red power tie and Italian leather shoes, he grabbed a lab stool and hauled it over. But he didn’t sit. Instead, he snagged a rag and wiped off the metal spinning disk before gingerly setting his briefcase down on it.

“I’ve got reports, more reports, and then just for fun, some paperwork for you to sign,” he said as he pulled out thick packets of stapled papers. “All of them say one thing: I do not like this economy.”

Sam snorted. “I don’t think you’re alone in that.”

“We’ve got to do something about it.”

“The whole economy?”

“Just our little slice of it.” Roger pulled a black pen out of his pocket and passed it to Sam. “Sign here and here and here.”

Sam frowned and reached up to the huge, lighted, magnifying glass that swung above his desk. It was meant for people to use when doing detailed circuit board work, but Sam needed it for more than just that.

“Why don’t you get glasses like a normal person?” Roger asked.

Sam started scanning through the pages. “I have contacts.”

“That need reading glasses instead of that huge monstrosity.”

“This is bigger. Can’t lose this or sit on it,” he responded as he flipped a page in the contract, doing his best to concentrate as he read.

“You’re a multimillionaire,” Roger groused. “You should get stylish lenses that make you appear sophisticated and—”

“Geriatric.”

“Better than a doofus.”

Sam didn’t answer. He had a rare eye condition that left him visually impaired. Fortunately, technology and medicine had advanced enough that he could read a monitor and see distance objects with the aid of hard contact lenses that reshaped his eyeballs and magically filled in the ripples in his cornea. Close-up work, however, required a shift in magnification or a different pair of lenses. That was one of the reasons why he’d first started working on circuit boards so long ago. Everyone needed to use a lighted magnifying glass to do that, so he hadn’t felt handicapped.