Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (9 page)

“I’m afraid not. She’s still not feeling well after her surgery.
There was a voice message from her over the weekend that she’ll need another
week.”

Shit. I had a major trial the next week. Ms. Grant had been
working closely with me on this case. There was so much to wrap-up before the
jury selection began on Monday. The only co-worker other than Ms. Grant that
had worked closely with me on that case was Stephanie.

Fuck. I had transferred Stephanie to another department after she
texted an inappropriate photo to my phone that Mia had found a couple of months
back.

“Is Stephanie in today?” I had no idea what I was doing, but I
was desperate. Still, with the research for relevant case law and the legal
memorandum that was due tomorrow, I was at a loss. I needed someone to work on
the trial binders, as well as contact all of the witnesses and schedule them to
be prepped before trial. Stephanie was the only person I could rely on to
resolve this mess.

I had to call Mia and give her a heads-up. I didn’t want her to
feel uncomfortable. I was also trying to do the honesty and trust thing. It
meant a lot to her and the success of our relationship.

“She is in. Would you like me to send her to your office?” Stacy
stabbed through my thoughts.

“Yes, please.”

As I entered my office, I felt awkwardly nervous at the thought
of Mia being angry over the situation. We’d been doing very well, especially
over the past weekend. It was as if everything was going perfectly. I knew Mia
loved me, but the feelings she expressed a couple of nights ago sealed it for
me. So being the fucking wimp I was when it came to my girlfriend, I sank in my
chair behind my desk and dialed her number.

“Hello.” Mia answered in a sleepy tone after the third ring.

“Good morning, beautiful, did I wake you?”

“Yes, you did.” She laughed. “But I have to get up anyway. I have
to study for an exam that’s scheduled for tomorrow and meet your mother for
lunch at noon. After lunch, I’m meeting my mother and Megan for some shopping.”

“Sounds like a productive day.”

“Yes, it is. What are you up to?”

Unbuttoning my suit jacket, I leaned back into the chair. “I’m at
the office. It’s going to be a busy week with the Di Angele trial coming up
next week.”

“I thought that trial was scheduled for last summer?”

“Yes, it was, but it got continued as most trials do.”

“Right, I remember now hearing that on the news. Well, I know
you’ll be brilliant.”

I laughed once while my eyes glanced toward the door. Stephanie
popped her head in. Whispering, she said, “Stacy said you needed me?”

I covered the phone with my hand and responded to her, “Yes, can
you give me a minute on the phone?”

“Sure.” She shut the door, making her way back into the hallway.

“Marcus?” Mia’s voice pricked through the phone.

“Sorry, babe. I need to tell you something.” Fuck, I had no idea
why I was fucking sweating and nervous.

The squeak from the bed led me to believe that she
shifted—probably sitting up. “Okay, what is it?” She sounded concerned.

Letting out a deep breath, I pressed my lips together. Here goes
nothing. “Do you remember when I mentioned that Ms. Grant had surgery a week
ago?”

“Yes, is she okay? Did something happen?”

“Oh no, well, she needs another week or two. She’s not ready to
come back to work.” Hesitating for a few seconds, I continued, “With her being
out, I need an assistant. With witness preparation, trial binders, case law
research, and so much more, there’s no way I can do it all on my own. There is
only one person that’s familiar with the case and . . .” I trailed off knowing
that I was rambling, but couldn’t find the fucking nerves to just flat out and
say it.

“You need Stephanie to help.” She completed for me.

“Yes. I wanted to let you know first, Mia. I don’t want to make
you feel uncomfortable or keep it from you. I promise it’s nothing more than a
professional relationship.”

“Marcus, that’s fine. I trust you, and I appreciate that you’re
being honest. That means a lot to me. Seriously, you have a firm that you need
to successfully run and a trial to prep. If she’s the only person who can help,
then you have no other choice.” Hesitating, she sighed and then added, “But if
she touches you or tries any crap, I will go right down to your office and
cause some mayhem. Make sure you let her know that.”

I laughed at her attempts to sound intimidating, and my breathing
became steady. “I’ll be sure to tell her, but I’m positive I can handle
myself.”

“I’m sure you can, but it would make me happier to handle it
instead.” The sound of her hopping off the bed and landing on the wood floors
came through. I could hear her padding around her room. “Well, I’m going to
shower. Are we meeting up tonight? I missed you last night.”

“I missed you too, but I can’t. I have something to do tonight. I
wish I were there to shower with you.”

“Yeah? Well as you sit for the next few hours with Stephanie, I
want you to picture me standing in a hot steamy shower with my hands slowly
lathering every inch of me. The entire time my thoughts will be of you, Marcus:
the way you touch me, the way your hands feel against my skin, my breasts, and
every single inch of my body. Oh, and Marcus?”

“Yeah?” Sucking in a sharp breath, images of her naked body
glistening with soap suds were running through my mind.

“Only four days until you can have me any way you want.”

“You do know you’re a tease, right?” My pants felt uncomfortable
with the fucking hard on I had. She had been teasing me for fucking days,
counting each day down. I swore when I got my hands on her I’d make sure she’d
have no choice but to break this stupid fucking bet early.

“I love you, baby,” she whispered then blew me a kiss and ended
the call.

I waited five minutes to calm down before I opened the door and
let Stephanie in.

***

For the next couple of hours, Stephanie and I worked
together on the case. At first it was awkward. Neither one of us mentioned the
incident that had occurred. Instead, we dived right into the work that needed
to be done. With piles of files and documents scattered everywhere, we
continued to work persistently. I sat behind my desk, keeping my distance as
she lounged on a chair by the coffee table with a laptop on her lap.

I could tell at first that she was nervous. Every time I was
close by to hand her documents, she would fidget with her fingers, shift
uneasily, and be sure not to make direct eye contact. I felt bad that my
presence was uncomfortable for her. When it was dead silent in the room and all
you could hear was the sound of papers shifting or the sound of our fingers
typing along the keyboards, I had the urge to start a conversation, but I managed
to stop myself. I didn’t want to mislead her in any way, shape, or form.

I was in the midst of deep concentration on the legal memo I was
preparing, when the sound of my office door opening forced me out of it. I
turned my head to see who it was and was both shocked and pleased to see Mia
walking through the doorway. Her trench coat hung over her arm as her perfect
hips swayed with her confident stride. She was wearing the tightest and
shortest black long sleeved dress with fuck-me knee boots. I could also tell
she took her time to make sure her hair and makeup was at its best. My smile
broadened as her lips twitched into a slightly playful smirk. I also wanted to
burst out laughing because I knew
exactly
why she was here and I found
it beyond amusing.

“Hi, baby,” she chirped, leaning in as she planted a long kiss on
my lips. She jerked back to a straight posture, and her eyes turned toward
Stephanie. Mia’s lips slightly trembled in place and then formed a huge smile.
“Oh, hi, Stephanie, how are you?”

Not taking my eyes off of Mia, I could hear that Stephanie had shifted
and made her way across the room. “Hi, Mia, wow you look great. Better than
great, you look awesome.”

Mia’s face slightly slanted as she studied Stephanie. Mia waited
a few seconds before responding as if she were biting her tongue. “So do you,
Steph.”

“Thank you. Marcus, it’s only eleven. Would you like me to come
back after lunch hour? Say one o’clock?”

“That sounds great. Thanks, Stephanie.”

“No problem. It was nice seeing you again, Mia.”

“Same here, Steph. Take care.”

I waited until I could hear the sound of the door close behind
Stephanie before fully giving Mia my attention. I angled my head and studied
her. She laid her jacket down as her fingers trailed along my desk. She hummed
to a tune, attempting to avoid eye contact. My eyes trailed down the V-neck of
her dress that enhanced her cleavage. The scent of her perfume heightened my
senses. My mind drifted to the thought of forcing her across my desk and
fucking her senseless. The thought of being inside of her caused my pants to
tighten against my hard on.

This two-weeks-without-sex bullshit was killing me.

My eyes continued to trace the flawless curves of her body. My
stare-down froze at the end of her dress, which landed at mid-thigh. Wetting my
lips, I leaned forward in my chair and ran my hand up her inner thigh. “This is
a nice dress. It’s kind of short, though. You usually wear dresses like this
when you meet my mother for lunch?”

“Actually, I do. I dress like this all the time, minus my
low-down days. I’m surprised you’re just noticing.” She said sarcastically.
Turning her head, she looked down at me, and then her eyes lightened upon
realizing something. “You got a haircut.”

“Yes I did. You don’t like?” I continued to trace small circles
on her inner thigh.

Her lips curled into a smile as she reached for my hair and ran
her finger tips through it. “I love it. It’s short but still long enough for me
to play with.”

That small gesture of her fingers caressing my hair caused a
burning sensation that shot through me. I dragged my hand higher and cupped her
sex as I ran my finger along the seam of the panties. Looking up, I caught that
she took in a sharp breath. Standing from my chair, I firmly pressed my body
against hers. Out of balance, she sank down on top of the desk. Her breathing
became heavier as my palm rubbed against her clit and two of my fingers slipped
between her sleek walls. I could feel that she desperately wanted me. She was
ready for me in every way: the unsteadiness of her breathing, the quickening of
her heartbeat, and fuck, most importantly, how
fucking
wet she was for
me as I worked my fingers in and out of her.

Desire poured into her eyes as she stared into mine. “Marcus,
what are you doing?”

“Why did you come here?” I demanded in a low tone.

Her brows kneaded together as her face washed over with
frustration. Lifting her hands, she tried to push me away, “Can I not visit my
boyfriend at his place of work? Or was I interrupting you?”

“Stop it!” I grunted as I shoved both of my fingers deeper inside
her. Her lips slightly parted as she panted heavily. “Why did you come here?” I
asked again, this time my tone harsher. Without answering, she wet her lips and
gave me the you-should-know look.

Leaning in, I brought my face toward the side of hers, my lips
brushing her soft cheek along the way. The fresh scent of her hair drove me
insane. She let out a slight cry as I removed my fingers from inside of her and
ran my hand up the side of her body to cup her breast. She arched into me as
she sucked in air between her clenched teeth. With my other hand, I very gently
wrapped it around her throat. Her breathing hitched. I felt her heartbeat
quicken as my arm lay against her chest. “You came here for a reason, Mia. Tell
me. What do you want?” I blew out in a harsh whisper as I caught her earlobe
between my teeth and ran my tongue along her flesh.

“I came here for you.” Her voice was a low whimper.

“You came to tease me again?”

Slightly spreading her legs wider, she leaned back on the desk.
Her lashes fluttered. “No.” She gripped my hand and brought it back down
between her legs. I wanted her to ache and suffer as I had. I gripped her thigh
and yanked my hand from her grasp as I brought it up to lie on her waist.

Frustrated, she huffed out, “Now who’s the tease?”

Laughing once, I brought my face around to hers so that we were a
mere inch away from one another. “What do you want from me?” I caught her
bottom lip between my teeth and sucked against her flesh. The cherry scented
lip gloss she wore tasted just as good as it smelled. “What do you want me to
do?”

With the sweet warmth of her breath against my face, I couldn’t
take it anymore. Gripping her ass, I shoved her against me. I wanted her to
feel the effect she had on me, the desperate need to relieve the sexual
tension. Lifting a hand, I balled a fist full of her hair and tugged her head
back, forcing her to stare at me. I could see it deep within her eyes: the
fuck-me look. She didn’t give two fucks about that bet anymore. She wanted me
right then and there.

“You know what I want, Marcus.” She whimpered.

Tightening the grip in her hair, I brought my lips against hers
as I said, “Do you want me to fuck you hard, Mia, or make love to you?”

Her mouth opened with anticipation as her breathing became
evidently needy. “I want you to fuck me hard then make long sweet love to me.”

I flashed a crooked smile and whispered, “That’s my girl.”

She melted in my arms the moment my lips crushed against hers:
deep, passionate, hungry kisses that were fucking amazing. God, I wanted her
more than anything. I longed to touch her, to feel her, to enjoy the way she
felt in my arms as her body quivered after her orgasm, the panting and screams
as I slammed my cock inside of her. I wanted that feeling right then and right
there.