Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (19 page)

“My period.” I
giggled at his wince.

“Sorry, it’s
something foreign to me, that’s all.”

I took his hand,
grabbed the ice cream and two spoons, and then dragged him into my bedroom.
“Come on. I’m catching up on Game of Thrones.”

He grinned.
“I’ll try not to ruin it for you then. How far back are you?”

“You watch it?”

“Big fan. Matter
of fact, I have you to thank for getting me hooked last year when you mentioned
how you liked it. McKenzie is into it now, too.”

He kicked off
his shoes, shed his clothes, and climbed into bed in his boxers. We settled
down to watch television like a normal couple.

***

By the time the
last recorded episode finished, it was near midnight. We were a pint of Haagen
Dazs down, and I’d taken two of the Motrin to help with my muscle aches.

“You want me to
draw a bath for you?” he offered.

“Sure. Will you
join me?”

He looked surprised
but then pleased. “Of course. You, um, go get ready, and I’ll get the bath
prepared.”

I was grateful
for my half bath that I could use out in the hall. When I stepped into the
master bath, I could hear him humming under his breath. I observed his fluid
movements from the doorway while he poured the bubble bath, with a glass of
wine and candles already set up.

“Pretty
romantic,” I said, hating that it sounded like an accusation. Why couldn’t I be
a normal girl who didn’t overanalyze everything?

Luckily, he
didn’t notice and was focused on turning off the water. “Why don’t you climb in?
I’ll be right back.”

I stepped in and
closed my eyes. The water felt good on my muscles, and the fragrant scent of
the bubble bath was soothing.

“Scoot up, honey.
I’ll get behind you,” he suggested.

His strong legs
rested on either side of mine with my back tucked into his chest. Breathing
deeply, I enjoyed the feel of him around me. Although we hadn’t brought it up
all evening, I couldn’t help but do so now. “The last time we spoke on the
phone, you said it would be a good idea not to see me for another two weeks.”

He hugged me
tight from the back. “Clearly I didn’t mean it when I couldn’t last twenty-four
hours.”

“I started to
think maybe you…” I couldn’t quite finish the thought without getting emotional.

“Maybe I—what?”

I took a deep
breath. Something about being in the tub, facing away from him, made me braver.
“Maybe I wouldn’t hear from you at all. I’m not the sort of girl who’s ever
going to let you be dominant in all things, and I think that’s what you’ve had
before. And perhaps you were rethinking the entire thing.”

“That’s the last
thing I—Shit—I was afraid if I came over last night, you’d tell me it might not
be working for you because of my earlier behavior. I thought a break might
remind you that I’m not normally like that. The truth is…” He hesitated.
“Although the thought of being in control in the bedroom turns me on, I feel
the same when you challenge me. And there’s no doubt that you should’ve challenged
me in the office, but I’ve never dealt with the two combined.”

“And the thing
about Logan?”

“I’m not jealous
in the way you’re thinking. I don’t know why I brought it up except for the
fact that I’m envious he gets to spend every day talking with you, working late
nights, and seeing you all the time. That used to be us in Charlotte.”

I missed that,
too. “It was, but we weren’t doing this, so maybe the move was a good thing. By
the way, were you serious about all men rating women in their heads?”

He chuckled.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so. But it’s probably guy code, so don’t go spreading it
around.”

“It’s unnerving
to have a glimpse into the male psyche and the fact that men are such pigs.”

“If you could
look inside our minds, maybe we are, but we clean up nice for presentation
purposes.”

“Hmm. Fair
enough. By the way, I asked Logan. He assured me he doesn’t want to sleep with
me.”

“WHAT?”

I burst out
laughing. “I couldn’t resist. Like I’d ever ask him that question.”

“Your laughter
is worth the heart attack you almost gave me.”

I giggled again
and enjoyed the feel of his hands washing my arms and back.

“Can I ask you
something?” His voice was low and intimate.

“Mm.” I couldn’t
manage a yes with his hands on my breasts.

“Do you regret
starting this?”

I turned to face
him and put my hand on his jaw. “No, do you?”

It was an
emotional, intimate moment. When he opened his eyes, looking at me with
unfiltered passion, I knew that he didn’t have any doubts.

“Not even for a
second. Turn back around and relax into me. I want to wash your beautiful
body.”

I lay back,
gasping when his soapy fingers reached down and found my clit. “Bri—”

“Shh, I’ll only
touch you here. Open your legs.”

I let my knees
fall open to the sides of the tub.

“That’s it.”

Giving myself over
to the sensation, my toes curled with each stroke of his fingers.

His lips trailed
kisses down my neck, and then his breath was near my ear. “Come for me,
sweetness.”

My muscles
tensed and the roar of blood rushed in my ears. Suddenly, I climaxed with a
breathless whimper already wanting more.

“I wish I could
have you inside of me,” I panted, feeling him hard behind me.

“I don’t mind,
Sasha. I mean only if you want to.”

“I do, but—”

I didn’t have a
chance to finish voicing the insecurity before his hand roughly pushed between
my legs and pulled the string out in one fluid motion. I was shocked by how
aroused I became with that motion. Then he, no-nonsense, simply leaned over,
grabbed the trash can, and deposited it in there. Before I could process
feeling self-conscious, he lifted me up, and aligned his hardened length to my
slick entrance.

“I can’t believe
that turned me on so much,” I muttered. I felt his chuckle at my ear and gasped
in pleasure when he filled me completely.

His hands grasped
my hips, setting the rhythm. “Me too, gorgeous.” He groaned with pleasure,
increasing the tempo. “Your breasts are heavier, and you’re tighter around me.
You’re more sensitive, aren’t you?”

His hands were
everywhere at once, it seemed, and my body was on overload. “Oh, God, yes,” I
moaned.

He reached
around to my swollen nub, circling it expertly.

My body
clenched, and I threw my head back onto his shoulder. His growl of ecstasy
fueled me. Neither of us cared about the water sloshing all over the floor. His
teeth nipped at my neck, and we went over the edge together.

After a few
minutes, our breathing steadied, and he sighed. “Are you all right?”

“Mm-hmm.” I was
unable to form any coherent words at this point.

“I’m sorry. This
was not what I intended when I came back tonight. I was only going to rub your
back in the tub and maybe cop a feel, but, no, I’m like a damned animal when it
comes to you.”

“I’m the one who
said I wanted you inside of me. I guess I didn’t think you’d actually do it
though.” I was too embarrassed to vocalize it in detail.

“It’s probably
good we’re in the tub,” he said wryly.

I winced at the tenderness
when I got up and stepped out of the tub. I made sure to go straight into the
shower.

He drained the
water and then joined me. “Are you positive you’re okay? I didn’t hurt you, did
I?”

I turned,
smiling. “No you didn’t hurt me. Um, it wasn’t too bad for you, was it?” My cheeks
burned. What was I asking, exactly?

He grabbed my
chin and held my face. “No, but I feel terrible because I came back here to
prove that it wasn’t only about the sex.”

I soaped up and
ran my hands over his chest. “I know it’s not.” We locked eyes and a myriad of
emotions passed between us. “Um, I need a few minutes to wash.”

He kissed me
deeply. “Let me rinse, and I’ll give you some privacy, okay?”

I nodded,
grateful that he understood.

After my shower,
I dressed for bed and climbed in, enjoying the feel of his arms coming around
me. Then his hands were massaging my lower back, and it felt divine.

“Bri—”

“Mmm.”

“I’m glad you’re
here.”

“I can’t think
of anywhere I’d rather be, Sash.”

I smiled in the
dark.

It was like
every other pitch day. I arrived early at the client site, excused myself to go
to the restroom, and there pulled my hair back quickly while upchucking
breakfast into the toilet in front of me. Thankfully, I was alone in the
women’s bathroom. But even if I hadn’t been, I’d long ago perfected the art of keeping
quiet. Putting a few seat covers over the top of the water helped muffle the
sound and minimized the splashing. The last thing I needed was to have anything
land on my Jimmy Choo shoes or conservative, “consultant approved,” black
Chanel suit. I’d learned over the years to eat something starchy and drink a
lot of water. It hurt my throat less that way and came up a lot easier. As an
added bonus, I wouldn’t have the calories later.

Great, now I was
thinking like a bulimic teenage girl. If only it was that easily controlled, I
thought and then winced. Oh, sure, judge someone else’s disorder while I
battled my own on a daily basis. Nice one, Sasha.

I steadied my
breathing and visualized the pitch deck I was about to give the clients. I
didn’t think of Vanessa being insecure around women. I didn’t think about the
dress code or Brian. Instead, I cleared my mind and proceeded into the zone
like I always did.

But first always
came this. After flushing, I came out of the stall, pulled the toothbrush from
my purse for a quick brush, touched up my makeup, and put in my earbuds. My
song choice for today was a personal favorite: Titanium by David Guetta. I let
the words wash over me for the duration of the three minute song and took a
final look at myself. I was the vice president for Gamble Advertising out of
the New York office for a reason. I was successful, confident, and I would kill
this presentation. I visualized it, rolled my shoulders, and put on my game
face.

Coming out of
the ladies’ room, I smoothed down my long skirt and then walked the short
distance back to the reception area. There I smiled at Charlie and Logan, who
were waiting, and reassured them that everyone would do great.

Brian joined us
in the lobby a couple minutes later. I’d been relieved that he hadn’t come in
last night as I was neurotic when it came to pitch day and didn’t want the
distraction. I’d always heard about NFL players having quirky traditions or
throwing up before the big day. Well, this was my playoffs, and I was the
quarterback. The pitch was my sweet spot, and we’d been preparing for weeks. I
was damn good at it, and now that I’d put my anxiety into a box, the adrenaline
was kicking in. I was ready.

We all filed
into the conference room. It was show time. Introductions were made, and I
officially met Vanessa. She was upper-thirties, petite in stature, with dark
brown hair pulled back in a severe bun. She wore a low-cut blouse paired with a
designer jacket, skirt, and leopard print pumps. Yeah, leopard. Clearly no one
had ever done a survey dictating that she wear something conservative.

The board in
attendance was made up of five gentlemen, all white-haired and dressed in black
or navy suits. The man in charge was named Michael Dobson. He’d served as CEO
of Tryon Pharmaceuticals for the last ten years and only recently retired to
become the chairman of the board. I knew about each of these men, their
biographies, their work history, and anything else I could dig up.

My advertising
pitch deck followed a well-known formula of five stages or steps. The first
step was where Brian did most of the talking. Since he was the senior person,
he took care of the introductions and talked about the credentials of Gamble
Advertising as a whole. His voice was melodic, and he was straight and to the
point. The second step was to throw the ball over to me for our focus on
strategy. This was where we sold the idea that this was a niche of the market in
which we’d proven ourselves. It was a stretch, however, considering we’d only worked
with one pharmaceutical company, and it was quite a bit smaller than Tryon. It
wasn’t normal practice to field questions during this part of the presentation,
however it happened often enough. I’d prepared, considering Vanessa was the
type of woman who’d want to make her presence known early on.

“You only have
the one other pharmaceutical company?” she inquired, tapping her pen.

I smiled. “Yes,
only one, however we have two home health care accounts. And, instead of having
to split creativity amongst several identical pharmaceutical companies, all of
the ingenuity would be focused on yours.”

She looked like
she was about to speak again but was interrupted by the chairman, Mr. Dobson.
“Very good answer, Ms. Brooks. Please continue.”

Good to know she
didn’t have control over the board. But considering these gentlemen wouldn’t be
present for most client meetings and discussions, it wasn’t going to do much
good later. Moving on to stage three, we provided the meat of the presentation,
the creative pitch. Logan presented the magazine ad concepts, and Charlie moved
into the television campaign proposal. Then it was back to me to discuss the
miscellaneous ad space, which included stadiums and airports. We expected
questions and comments during this section. I noticed Vanessa only addressed
her questions to the men on the team.

Once she was
finished, Mr. Dobson, the chairman, took his turn while thumbing through the
presentation packet in front of him. “Tell me, Ms. Brooks, why did you target
the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium specifically for an ad?”

My smile came
easily. “Mr. Dobson, the Dallas Cowboys are the most televised team in America,
giving you the best camera time for your ad. It’s also a newer stadium and the
largest, which means that the film crew is panning around to show the home-viewing
audience a glimpse of it more often than in an older stadium. And, last but not
least, considering you have season tickets, where better to see evidence of
your company’s ad dollars than where you can do business with potential
investors?”

His wide grin
let me know my homework had not been in vain. “Very nice, Ms. Brooks. Now tell
me how you think the Cowboys will do this year?”

I paused,
pretending to think about it. “I believe losing Demarco Murray will be a large
hole, and the jury is out on whether or not McFadden and Randle can replace
that gap. Between the two of them, my money is on McFadden to be the starter,
but the real question is if they can keep their offensive line healthy. Without
that, you’ll have an injured quarterback with a domino effect. Of course,
defense is where it’s going to make a difference if they can have the same sort
of year as the last one with takeovers. If you ask me, Tyron Crawford is
underrated and this could be his breakout year.” And thank you, Daddy, not only
for my love of the game, but also for teaching me the best strategy for dealing
with most men: football. He’d always said that you could fundamentally be at
odds with a man politically or religiously, but if you could talk football, all
the other stuff wouldn’t matter.

“It takes a lot
to surprise me, Ms. Brooks. We may need to fly you out for a game.” Smiling, he
looked toward his fellow board members, of which I knew two of the three also held
Dallas Cowboys season tickets.

“That would be a
dream, Mr. Dobson,” I replied graciously.

Turning back to
my team, I noticed that Logan’s gaze was akin to hero worship. Charlie looked
impressed, and Brian’s eyes showed unfiltered amusement.

Vanessa, however,
had a sour expression on her face.

The fourth stage
was my least favorite: the budget. Clients didn’t typically like to spend
money, but since the six-million-dollar figure on the table had been offered up
before we’d prepared the pitch, the board didn’t bat a lash at our estimates.
Finally, after no further questions, we proceeded to the summary or the final
step of the presentation. Charlie and Logan hit their cues flawlessly, and we
killed it.

The only
personal hitch to the entire thing had been watching Vanessa eye fuck Brian.
She was an attractive woman who was not hurting for confidence, hanging on his
every word and lingering with
innocent
touches as we made our goodbyes.

We would find
out in the next couple of weeks if we’d made the cut to the next round. There
was always the chance we wouldn’t win the business, but I was confident that
we’d left it all on the field. And the football metaphors stayed on the brain.

***

After arriving
back in my office, I felt the adrenaline start to evaporate from the high of
the pitch, and I was left exhausted. It mentally and physically drained me
every time. Coffee was the only thing keeping me awake at this point.
Thankfully, Brian had gone without me to meet Josh for lunch, and I’d let
Charlie and Logan go home early with high praise for their efforts. My
intention was to head out soon, too. I didn’t know what time Brian would come
over, but I was hoping for an hour to take a nap or, at the very least, grab another
caffeinated beverage to catch my second wind.

I let Nancy know
I’d be leaving soon and was about to grab my things when she buzzed me.

“Ms. Brooks, there
is a Ms. Jamie Morgan in reception, asking to see you.”

I was stunned.
What in the hell would Brian’s one-time girlfriend be doing here? “Uh, please
tell the receptionist that I’m finishing a meeting and then retrieve Ms. Morgan
in ten minutes.” I might not have the energy deal with her, but I’d be damned
if I’d let her have the gratification of intimidating me on my own turf.

“Not a problem,
Ms. Brooks,” Nancy replied.

I immediately
dialed Brian’s cell phone and was relieved when he picked up.

“Hey, you, good
timing. We just finished up lunch,” he greeted.

“Hi. Uh, is
there a reason that you can think of that Jamie Morgan would be here to see me
right now?” I didn’t have time to beat around the bush.

He cursed a
string. “What does she want?”

“I’m not sure
yet, but I’ll find out in in a few minutes. Any idea why she’d be here?”

He exhaled
audibly. “We had dinner last night, but she didn’t mention anything. Who the
hell knows?”

The stab of jealousy
hit me hard. “How could you have had dinner last night with Jamie if you flew
in this morning?”

“I came in last
night but knew you wouldn’t want to see me with the pitch today. Jamie wanted
to clear the air and apologize. Maybe that’s what she’s doing there. I’ll call
her after we get off the phone.”

Were men really
this naïve about the agenda of a woman? “First of all, you’ll do no such thing.
I swear to you, Brian, if you so much as text her at this point, I’ll never speak
to you again. I don’t need that woman thinking I can’t fight my own battles.
Secondly, what happened to not dating other people, or were the rules only applicable
to me?”

“It wasn’t a
date. It was dinner with—”

“An old
girlfriend,” I supplied dryly.

“Sasha…”

“I don’t have
time to argue about this right now. But I want you to think about a scenario in
which my ex-boyfriend shows up to see you in your office in Charlotte. You call
me and find out that I not only came into town the prior night without telling
you, but that I’d also had dinner with that same ex. Let me know how that would
make you feel. I’ve gotta go.” I hung up the phone before he could respond and
slipped the hair band around my wrist, giving it a snap for good measure.
Something told me I was going to need it.

***

Nancy showed
Jamie into my office while I was composing an email. I glanced up and finished
typing to give the appearance of being interrupted. “Thank you, Nancy,” I said and
noticed the protective look she gave me the minute Jamie stepped in my office.
Well, good to know I had an ally in my assistant.

I greeted Jamie
warmly. Okay, lukewarm. After all, I was only human. But I’d have no reason not
to act warmly unless I was in fact jealous, and I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
“Hi, Jamie. Nice to see you again. What can I do for you?”

She smiled,
taking a seat in her designer pantsuit and four-inch heels. “Oh, I won’t take
up too much of your time. I had dinner with Brian last night to apologize for
the last time we were out. I evidently spoke out of turn revealing the
Sasha-B-Fierce nickname, and he suggested there may be some hard feelings.” Her
tone held absolutely no sincerity.

“No hard
feelings on my part. In fact, I’ve embraced it like the compliment it was
intended to be.” My voice was luckily steadier than my emotions.

“Good, and I
guess congratulations are in order?”

“I’m afraid you’ve
lost me. Are you congratulating me?”

“Yes, it appears
that you and Brian are quite happy together.”

I arched my
brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There was no way that he’d told
her.

She uncrossed
her legs and leaned forward. “Come on, Sasha. Woman to woman, I came here to
apologize. The least you could do is be truthful.”

“That’s a
curious thing, Jamie, considering I’ve yet to hear an actual apology from you.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “You know, I didn’t give you enough credit, even knowing your nickname.
You’re tough, and if you want to play it this way, then obviously that’s your
prerogative.”