Arrogant Boss

“Remind me again who booked these flights, and why on earth it had to be so early?” Emily slid out from under my arm and sat up at the side of the bed, gingerly stretching from side to side. The sheet pooled around her hips, and I saw the smooth expanse of her back, the faint curve of a breast. Her dark hair was a beautiful mess.

When she didn’t get a response-I’d temporarily lost the ability to speak-she peeked over her shoulder.

“You’re not falling asleep on me again, are you?

“No.” I bent a knee to hide my erection. Morning or not, the sight of her nude body illuminated by the faint light of dawn would stir even the most tired of men.

“We have to get going.”

“Not yet, we don’t.” I reached for her, but Emily rose and danced away with a grin.

“We’ll be late.”

“I don’t care.” She might be out of reach, but I now had a full view of her beautiful, naked body. Curved in all the right places, soft to the touch, surprisingly responsive. I knew what she tasted like-and I wanted a second round.

Emily saw the desire on my face and her cheeks grew red.

I grinned. “You’re not getting shy on me now, Ace?”

She rolled her eyes and started rummaging around for her clothes. A sweater was put back on, jeans quickly tugged up along shapely legs. “Only because I know exactly what you want to do now.”

“Am I that obvious?”

Emily gave a snorting laugh. “Yes. But we don’t have time.” She paused by the hotel door. “Take a shower. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

She looked so cute with messy hair and well-kissed lips, and my chest tightened at the sight. But before I could say anything else she slipped out of my hotel room and it shut smoothly behind her.

I laid back down and watched the crown molding in the ceiling, the intricate and detailed twists. The scent of her still clung to the pillow beside me and the sheets smelled of us. It had been so long since I’d taken a woman in my arms and felt what Emily made me feel. Alive. Wanted. Seen.

The woman was nothing if not unexpected. I’d been prepared to go slow, to take things day by day, to convince her that being with me was a good idea. That we were a good idea. But she’d taken things into her own hands, literally, and given me the best sex of my life.

Hell, I’d never found a woman so wet and ready for me before I’d even touched her. None had felt as right in my arms, as if they belonged there.

Images of her refused to leave me as I packed my few toiletries and hung my suit back into the garment bag. Emily was in my head through every step, even as I took a scalding shower. Somehow, even though she’d just left me, I missed her.

I could barely look in the bathroom mirror without getting hard, thinking about what we’d done the night before. Taking her from behind like that, having her twist and grind and moan… blood rushed south at the thought.

Never before had a woman wanted me so. And her hungry kisses, the fit of her tight, warm depths… It was enough to make a man half-crazed with worship. We’d fit like we were made for it. She’d taken all of my length and more, pushed back against me like mine was the best cock she’d ever had. My vain heart hoped it was.

Lord knew she was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen.

I turned the water in the shower to cold.

Thirty minutes later I stood in the empty lobby with Josef, glancing at my watch. Emily should be down by now, and she usually loathed being late. My mind conjured up images of her in her hotel room, overthinking what we’d just done-or worse-regretting it.

Josef yawned next to me.

“Out late?”

He nodded. “Those programmers, man. They really know how to cut loose.”

“When you’d get back in?”

“I don’t think I should be telling you that, boss.”

I forced myself to look relax. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, although I-”

I didn’t hear him. Emily came hurrying through the lobby. Her hair was in a high ponytail that swished along her back and she was wearing a massive smile.

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

The smile that spread across my face was one part joy, two parts relief.

Josef huffed. “You’re two minutes late, Em. We’re not about to stone you for it.”

She bumped his shoulder. “How did your fraternization campaign go yesterday?”

He laughed and gave her shoulders a light squeeze. I knew they were friends, knew Josef was like that with everyone, but my insides still squeezed with jealousy. I knew I couldn’t touch her like that in public. She’d never let me, not yet.

“The car should be here. Let’s go.”

They both fell into step behind me as we headed out. The same soapy, floral scent followed her as last night, and my stomach clenched.

Emily teased Josef mercilessly in the car on the way to LAX about his wild night out, while I spent most of the ride cursing his existence. It wasn’t the poor man’s fault, of course, but the rules Emily had set dictated that no one knew about us. An hour earlier she had been sleeping in my arms, and now she was in the backseat, a wall of professionalism and secrecy raised between us.

I spent the ride reading emails, and when we met up with Rachel at the airport, I knew that my tone was curt. My plan had been to seduce her slowly… cook her breakfast. Treat her the way she deserved, but curiously enough, it seemed like she didn’t expect anything from me.

All four of us spent the time before the plane took off working and I had no shot at getting a few words in with her. The need to know what she felt about last night, about me, felt like a weight on my shoulders.

Boarding opened and we headed on first with the rest of the first-class passengers.

“I’m in aisle six,” Emily said. “Rachel, where are you?”

“Six too. We all are. I’m in seat A.”

“Oh, I’m C.”Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“Could we switch seats?” Rachel asked her. “Julian and I could spend the flight going over the coming week’s media announcements.”

We most certainly did not need to do that.

“No, we’ll push that to later,” I said. “I’ll debrief Emily about her views on the conference.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Emily and I took our seats across the aisle from the others and I watched as her hands fastened the seatbelt. Now I knew what those hands felt like, wrapped around me or pressed against my chest.

She was so close, but so far away. I couldn’t make a joke about yesterday. I couldn’t ask how she felt or make sure we were on the same page.