Change in Strategy: An Office Romance (Change of Hearts Book 2) Page 12

  The lie slips easily from my tongue and by the way Ferg’s expression changes from salacious to accepting, I know he believes me. Which is both a relief and a concern because, in a way, I just sealed my own fate.

  I made a statement of fact – to a journalist, of all people – indicating that I had no romantic or inappropriate feelings toward Peyton, even though it’s a complete and utter fabrication.

  Yet now that it’s out there, I can’t take it back. I’m stuck in a no-win position – between doing what my heart and body want versus what is acceptable behavior as the CEO.

  It’s a wet blanket of conflict – the do I or don’t I conundrum.

  I feel my phone vibrate with a text. I pull it out of my pocket and glance down to read it.

  Peyton: I’m waiting.

  A timeclock emoji punctuates the note.

  Shit, timing is everything.

  “I’ve got to run, Ferg. Business to be taken care of.” I slap him on the back in a quick bro-hug. “I hope you’ll write something good about my speech tomorrow.”

  He gives me a wave, twiddling his fingers. “You know me. I only write the truth.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I laugh, ready to head off. “Good catching up. Talk soon.”

  As I walk toward the elevator, passing people I know who I’ve encountered in the business circles for years, I consider what I’ll do with Peyton tonight.

  The elevator opens and I’m alone with my thoughts.

  I type out a quick response to Peyton.

  Do you turn into a pumpkin at a certain hour?

  Her reply is quick and my heart hammers in my throat as I wait.

  Peyton: Maybe. I definitely feel like Cinderella tonight. Are you bringing my glass slipper?

  My mind races with all sorts of dirty responses and suggestive replies. The elevator rises toward our floor and along with it my stomach somersaults and flips with indecision.

  I can always just go to her room and talk my way out of this. Put a stop to it before anything starts. Tell her that we should wait until after her internship ends. That would be the wisest course of action, right? The most mature and appropriate decision.

  But waiting sounds retched and not something I really want to do.

  I type out my response just as the doors open and I head down the hallway to her room.

  Taking a deep inhale, I confirm my decision, sealing our fate as I send the last text and knock.

  I’ve got your slipper right here.

  Chapter 21

  Peyton

  I’ve been pacing back and forth since I got back to my room, so freaking nervous that my legs feel rubbery and weak, my hands shake and my bottom lip trembles. And to top it off, my stomach roils and churns like a bubbling cauldron.

  This is going to happen tonight with Brody. We’re going to have sex.

  And he’ll learn the truth about me.

  Ever since our one and only kiss, I’ve known I’ve wanted to be with him. Every step along the way leading up to this point has been like whispered kisses on my skin preparing me for this moment.

  I think I would’ve been ready the day of the hike had I taken him up on his offer for dinner. But damn, Brody has such a moral compass. He’s unlike any of the powerful CEO’s I’ve heard of, who use their power and position to draw women in. Brody is friendly with everyone in the office, and not once have I seen him flirt with any of the women.

  Trying to keep my crush hidden for him the past few weeks has been hell. I’m possibly the worst poker face alive. In fact, last week right after a meeting that Dante and I had with Brody, Dante cornered me in the hallway afterwards, calling out my infatuation of Brody.

  He leaned in and hush-whispered, “He’s a very good-looking man, isn’t he?”

  I couldn’t believe Dante had said that. My eyes bugged out and my head snapped back in a double take motion. I pretended like I had no idea what or who he was referring to.

  “Who is?” My throat was dry and had a rough edge to it.

  Dante clucked his tongue and patted my shoulder patronizingly. “Oh, come on, girl. I see the way you look at him. All dreamy and doe-eyed. We all look at him like that, honey. And if I weren’t in a serious relationship and he wasn’t as straight as an arrow, I’d be all over that like hot asphalt on an Alabama road in summer.”

  “Dante,” I cringed, surreptitiously glancing both ways down the hallway. “It’s not like that. I mean, yes, he’s obviously, um, handsome and easy on the eyes.”

  Dante agrees. “Mmm-hmm.”

  “But he’s my boss. And I’m sure he dates plenty of beautiful women.”

  Dante gave me a sad shake of his head. “He’s very private, but from what we’ve all heard, he only dates casually. Spends the majority of his time here in the office, on business trips or with his dog.”

  I smiled at the mention of Boss because he’d run up to me the day before when Brody brought him into the office and nearly bowled me over. It was right in front of Sheila’s desk, who lifted a curious brow when I bent down and gave Boss some love, telling him I was glad to see him again.

  If Sheila thought it was weird, she didn’t say anything. Just took the documents I’d given her and smiled sweetly.

  All of this had me wondering if everyone knew I had the hots for Brody and what that would mean if we actually do have sex tonight and how I could possibly keep my attraction to him a secret once we were back in L.A.

  My mouth is so dry, I take a sip of water, dribbling a little down my front. I blot the wet spot on my chest and wonder if I should’ve changed out of my dress. Maybe Brody expects me to be naked and waiting for him.

  Panic rises in my throat, but I have no time to consider changing when Brody knocks at my door just and my phone pings with a message. My gaze swings between my phone on the bureau and the door. I pick up the phone and read the message as I head to the doorway.

  A giggle escapes my lips when I read his response, just as I unlatch the lock and open the door to reveal my handsome boss in front of me.

  His eyes are cast down to his feet, but when they lift to snag mine, I nearly crumble in a pile of goo. I open my mouth to say something…but I don’t know what it is, because in a split second, I go from barely being able to stand to backed up and cornered against the wall with hungry lips planted over mine.

  Our moans mingle together, his a loud, agonizing growl, while mine is simply to say, “yes, yes, yes.”

  In the distance, I hear the door click shut, but it all fades away as Brody begins to devour me. He tastes of chocolate mouse and cognac. The sensation of being lifted into the air becomes reality as his hands dig underneath my hips and he pushes my back up against the wall.

  I undulate against him as he wedges himself tightly between my legs, his solid muscular thighs pinning me up against the hard wall, his erection grinding against me that’s just as hard.

  My breath escapes me as his mouth crushes over mine, my lips parting on their own volition and Brody’s tongue surges forward, making long, delicious sweeps in my mouth.

  Growing bold and brave, I suck on the tip of his tongue, the action creating delightful sensations at my core. Brody pulls away, his eyes ablaze with lust and desire, his entire being soaking inside my skin, heating me like a wild brush fire burning up the oxygen between us. Stroking and fanning the flames.

  Brody buries his face in the crook of my neck, his wet lips finding the sensitive dip in my collarbone and that sweet patch of skin underneath my ear, where he nips and sucks and sends me straight to heaven. I slip my hands into his soft, wavy hair and wrap my legs securely around his waist.

  The bulge of his erection fits so divinely perfectly at the junction of my thighs and I squeeze, punching my hips forward to gain the friction I need so bad to get me off.

  Brody stops, his mouth inches from mine as he growls like he’s being tortured. And maybe that’s true for both of us. Tortured to the point of agony as we’ve played this game for weeks, the back-and-forth
and staying on this side of proper. Resisting this intense chemistry to avoid the havoc it could wreak into our lives.

  But it’s too late. There’s no going back now. No rewriting the story that’s been crafted, no erasing this obscene need for each other that’s been unfolding chapter by chapter and intensifying the more we’re in each other’s company.

  This kiss is everything I’ve wanted since the first kiss we shared. Tonight, however, it has much more meaning and promise. A conclusion that’s not so far off in the distance.

  Our first kiss was under the guise of false identities. Something that would have been fleeting and quick, like a flicker of a flame, had it gone further.

  But this kiss is full of future promises. A bonfire that’s being stoked and blazing hotly to continue its intensity. Designed to last for more than just one night.

  Or at least, I think it is.

  Maybe I’m a fool, so enamored by him, that I want to believe it’s something bigger. For all I know, this might be just a one-night stand from Brody’s perspective, ending with the morning after when we return to the norm. To the same boss and intern working relationship we had before this.

  As if he’s reading my thoughts, Brody slowly drops me down, my body sliding against his, and I sigh as every achingly beautiful inch of him teases my overly sensitized body.

  He steps away to give us space, a cautiously serious expression covering his face, as he cradles my cheeks in his palms.

  “Peyton, I want this, and I think you do, too,” he extends his pointer finger between us. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you at that bar and it’s only grown stronger since. But there are serious consequences if we allow this to happen. You have my word that this will not affect your job, your internship or your future potential within this business. Do you understand me?”

  I tip my head and nod. “I understand. Thank you for saying it.”

  “I’d be remiss if I didn’t, even if I’m a wet blanket and ruining the moment,” he snickers and gives a quick shrug. “But I need to provide you the chance to say no and if you don’t, and say yes instead, I’ll have to inform Jessica about us first thing on Monday.”

  I blanche, worried about how this will make me look. Wondering whether Jessica can be trusted or if I’ll be made to look like a harlot. “We can’t keep this a private matter. Just between us?”

  Brody shakes his head and takes my hand, guiding me toward the bed, gesturing for me to sit down.

  “Listen, I’d like to do that because it’s no one else’s business but ours. But sadly, the truth is, hiding it would be wrong. I can honestly promise that I’ve never slept with any of my employees. This is a first for me, so I need to be above board with how I handle this. Keeping it a secret would make it feel cheap and dirty. And the only dirty I want is what we do in bed together.”

  He smirks and I blush. I’m not sure I know how to get dirty with a man.

  “Without your consent, I’ll need to walk out that door tonight. It would kill me, but this thing between us has to be on the up-and-up. Do you understand that? It’s for both of our sakes.”

  God, why does he have to be such an honest and decent man?

  Now that we’ve gotten to this point in our conversation, I feel like I should probably divulge my own tiny problem with him, which might turn into a secondary reason for him to hightail it out of here tonight.

  How do I even bring this up with him? Maybe if I don’t make it an uncomfortable issue, it won’t be a big deal. I can just let things happen naturally and let nature take its course. He might never even know the difference.

  But that would be deceitful. And as honest and forthright as he’s being with me – for me – I can’t possibly lie to him about my virginity.

  “Are we in agreement then, Peyton?” he asks, placing a hand on top of my bare leg where the skirt of my dress has risen up. My skin comes alive, tingling and pulsing from the heat of his touch.

  “Yes. Agreed. But Brody, I have to tell you something, too. And it’s embarrassing and awkward.”

  The butterflies from earlier now feel like seething sharks in blood infested waters. I tense visibly, hands shaking with nerves. He covers them with his hand and squeezes.

  “You can tell me anything. It won’t change how I feel about you.”

  His brown eyes simmer with sincerity and I want to hide my face from the way he studies my features.

  Taking a deep inhale, I blow it out slowly before rapidly rambling my confession.

  “I’m a virgin and I want my first time to be with you.”

  Chapter 22

  Brody

  Never in a million years would I have expected to hear what she just said.

  It defies all logic and makes this situation highly unusual.

  Here I am, promising the woman I want to fuck, who is also my employee, that having sex together won’t impact our working relationship. Which is probably bullshit because how could it not?

  And second, said woman has just announced that she’s a goddamn virgin.

  I jump to my feet, dropping the hand I was holding like it’s burning my own, and begin to pace the room, wearing a path in the carpet before I look at her again.

  She’s an exquisite mixture of innocence and siren. My cock rails against the fabric of my pants, wanting so desperately to proceed on the course we began not ten minutes earlier. But this shocking bit of news is quickly putting a damper on our night.

  “Come again? You’re a what?”

  Peyton folds her hands primly on her lap and drops her head, her cropped hair long enough to screen her face. But that won’t do.

  I kneel in a crouch in front of her and push the strands of pink-tipped hair behind her ears.

  Her soft voice is a plea. “Please don’t make me repeat it, Brody. I just want…God, this is so humiliating.”

  This conversation is obviously stressing her out, for good reason, but it’s exactly the reason we need to talk this through. It clearly calls out the incredible differences between us, not only our experience levels but also our ages. I’m nearing thirty. She’s twenty-one. A college student. And a virgin.

  Fuuuuck. This is not good.

  “Peyton, sweetheart. Please, don’t be embarrassed. It’s just…not something I expected you would say to me. Just give me a minute to wrap my head around it and figure out how we deal with it.”

  She snaps her eyes open and glares at me with an “Are you kidding me with this shit?” look. I move to the edge of the bed and sit down next to her as she covers her face in her hands. I work to pry them away, placing my finger underneath her chin and swinging her toward me.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to be something you have to deal with.” She uses air quotes and hisses with quivering lips. Lips I was just sucking on and have fantasized about having wrapped around my cock, leaving a beautiful red ring around it from her lipstick.

  “There is nothing to be sorry about. It’s not a complication, but just another consideration as we work our way through this.”

  I shift up to the headboard to prop against it for support, encouraging her to join me. We stretch out our legs, my arm slung around her back as I clutch her to my side.

  She snuggles in, and I can sense her relaxing a bit in my arms. I place my lips to her forehead for a kiss.

  “This is so weird, isn’t it? This whole thing. And I just complicated things even more. I’m such an idiot.”

  I tilt her head up. “Don’t you dare think that, Peyton. I agree, it’s definitely a strange predicament and one I’ve never had to work through before. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. It just means we might want to take this slower.”

  Peyton scrambles up, pouncing on her knees to face me.

  “No,” she says, shaking her head adamantly. “I’ve waited long enough for this. I don’t want to take it any slower. I want you, tonight.” She jabs her finger toward the bed. “Please, fuck me
, Brody.”

  Now, I don’t know about the willpower of most men, but I can tell you this. When you’re alone with a beautiful young woman in a hotel room who says she wants you to fuck her, well, that’s just not something a guy’s dick can easily dismiss.

  I don’t have a moment to even consider making a rational decision when the unexpected happens.

  Peyton perches on her knees in front of me and slowly removes the straps of her dress, pushing them down her arms as her tits pop free from the material. As if she saved this as her final play in a game-winning hand, Peyton uses the incredible distraction of the appearance of her firm, lush breasts, to ensure she gets what she wants.

  I’m so in awe and focused on the small and rosy small nipples peaking hard in front of my face that a comet could crash through our window and I wouldn’t notice a thing. All I know is I have to touch and taste them and suck without ceasing. She continues to drag the material of her dress until it pools at her hips, when she stops, looking at me through hooded lashes.

  “Brody, please,” she says hesitantly. “Don’t make me beg for this.”

  And…just like that, I snap.

  I’m on her in a flash, so fast that she startles out a squeak when I reach around her waist, tugging her down and flipping her onto her back so I can hover over her. My palms touch soft, warm skin and I lower my lips to her nipple. “I might like hearing you beg for it.”

  The breathy moan she lets out is almost as deadly as her beautiful tits, which I now begin to explore. I circle a nipple with the tip of my tongue, swirling around the pebbled flesh before sucking it into my mouth. I suck long and hard, pulling at the tight nub between my teeth as I groan loudly.

  “You taste like fucking perfection. Like sweet cotton candy and bubblegum and cherry icies.”

  My hands quickly find their way into the action and I plump the flesh of her other breast, my fingertip flicking and pinching over the tight buds as she gasps in pleasure.