Finally
Finally
A Windy City Novella
Scarlett Metal
Table of Contents
Chapter One - Lauren
I was busy working at my desk well after everyone had gone home when a message popped up on the screen from the intercompany messaging system.
All ready for the meeting tomorrow?
I couldn’t help but break out into a huge smile when I saw the message from Marcus. I quickly typed my reply.
Yep. What time do you get in tomorrow?
I tried to read my email, but I couldn’t concentrate while I waited anxiously to hear back. It wasn’t long before he answered.
My plane lands at 8:00. Getting up to catch a flight that early is going to kill me.
A giggle escaped my lips as I imagined him groaning about getting up at dawn to get on a plane. I typed a quick response.
Poor baby. Meeting starts at 9:00. Gives you plenty of time to get here.
Marcus was coming to town for a customer meeting. I was the account manager at our design firm and he was the head engineer. We’d worked together on this customer for two years, but at different locations. I was at our Chicago main office while he worked out of the Denver engineering branch.
I’m looking forward to the weekend. See ya tomorrow.
I got butterflies in my stomach when I read that. Despite having worked for our company for two years, he’d never been to Chicago. Meetings had always taken place in Denver or at the customer’s location in Atlanta. He’d always wanted to visit, so he’d arranged his flight so he could stay a couple extra days and do some sight-seeing. Since he didn’t know anyone else in town, I was looking forward to showing him around
.
I decided to keep it simple so I didn’t sound desperate at all.
Travel safe.
I sat back, nearly swooning in my desk chair. I couldn’t believe Marcus and I would finally get our chance to be alone.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Marcus. I’d gone out to Denver to meet with him and his team of engineers before a presentation for our customer. We had spoken on the phone a few times prior and the instant I walked into the conference room I knew which one he was. He was talking to someone, but my eyes were instantly drawn to him and his 6’4” frame, his broad shoulders covered in a black suit coat. I could tell from his physique he obviously was very active. His dishwater blonde hair was cut short, but left long enough to give me visions of running my fingers through it. He’d turned to look at me as I walked in and his blue eyes looked me up and down before settling on my face. He’d shaken my hand with a sexy crooked smile on his lips when we were introduced and I almost pulled back when I felt the electricity that seemed to flow between us.
My blouse suddenly felt too tight thinking about the flirtation and strong attraction that continued to exist between the two of us throughout the course of our relationship. Nothing ever happened because I’d been dating Kyle. Kyle and I had even been engaged. Marcus and I never crossed the line past anything professionally friendly, but I was always painstakingly aware of chemistry we seemed to have.
I threw my pen down and scrubbed my face with my hands. I had ended my engagement to Kyle about six months ago when I caught him sleeping with his secretary.
How cliché
. Honestly, things with Kyle had been over long before the affair. We’d been college sweethearts, but after we graduated, he had law school and I concentrated on my career. When he became lawyer, it didn’t get any better and our romance fizzled out. Kyle’s affair was the last straw in our already crumbling relationship.
Thankfully work had kept me too busy to dwell on it too much but it’d been a big adjustment. I’d been with Kyle for so long I forgot what it was like to be alone. I hadn’t given much thought to dating anyone else yet. I didn’t have a lot of free time to meet someone new. It felt liberating to be on my own for the first time in years and I was enjoying my newly found freedom.
When this visit was scheduled a few weeks ago, the flirtation between us seemed to pick up. This was the first time we would be together when I was single. From what I’d picked up from our conversations, Marcus wasn’t seeing anyone seriously either. His job as head engineer kept him pretty busy. I also got the feeling from some of his past comments and the teasing he took from his coworkers, he liked to play the field.
I was ready for some fun since Kyle and I had broken up and Marcus might fit the bill perfectly. I’d never been a person who had one-night stands, but I wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship with anyone right now. If nothing else, maybe Marcus and I could have some sexy fun with each other. Living so far apart from each other would make a romantic relationship difficult, but having someone I could hook up with once in awhile might not be a bad thing.
I checked my watch. I was supposed to meet my best friend Amanda at the bar she managed. I closed my laptop and gathered all the notes I would need for the customer meeting so I wouldn’t have to in the morning.
I looked down as my phone started to ring. It was Amanda. I’m sure she was going to yell at me for still being at work. “I know, I know, I’m on the way,” I said as I answered, continuing to organize papers on my desk.
"Where are you? Not still at work, are you?" Amanda asked, almost shouting in my ear.
I cringed at her question. She always yelled at me for working too much. "Yes, I’m still at work. I’m just getting things ready for tomorrow. I’ll be there in thirty minutes, promise."
Amanda let out a snort. "Yeah right." She paused. “Wait, tomorrow’s the day you see Marcus, isn’t it?”
My heart skipped a beat at the thought. “Yep," I said as I powered down my computer.
"What are ya gonna wear?” She asked.
"Well, it’s a work thing, so I can’t look slutty, but I want to be sexy. Classy and professional, but sexy too. Think I can pull that off?” I sighed. Why was I so nervous about seeing him?
"It’s about time you get laid. How long has it been since Kyle? And you’ve only been lusting after Marcus forever,” Amanda said dryly on the other end. I’d confided in her long ago about my attraction to Marcus, so she knew what this trip could mean.
“I know! But I was with Kyle. Now I’m not,” I trailed off, unable to even say out loud all of the possibilities running through my head.
“So now you can fuck him,” Amanda finished for me. Leave it to her to be so crass. That’s just one of many reasons why I loved her.
“Amanda!” I scolded her, but couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe he won’t even want me.”
“From all the flirty you tell me about, I think he’s had the hots for you just as long as you’ve had for him.”
“I hope so. Maybe I’ve just been imagining it all these years. Maybe that’s just how he is and he flirts with everyone,” I murmured into the phone.
“Whatever. Listen, we’re slow tonight at the bar, so I’ll meet you at your place. We’ll figure out what to dress your sexy ass in for tomorrow. I’m going to hang up now and I’ll see you in 20 minutes." There was a click on the other end as Amanda hung up before I could even say goodbye.
I threw my phone into my purse with a smile. For the first time ever, I was actually looking forward to a customer visit. I couldn’t wait to see Marcus.
Chapter Two – Marcus
I had trouble sleeping the night before flying out to Chicago. I was worse than a kid at Christmas; I couldn’t wait to see Lauren. Even though we talked almost every day at work, I hadn’t actually seen her in about six months. I was glad I’d decided to stay in town a few extra days to see Chicago. I’d told her I wanted to stay longer because I’d never been there, but I really just wanted to spend the extra time with her. This would be the first time we would spend time alone outside of work. My heart started pounding when I thought about it.
I rolled over in bed with a sigh, looking at the clock on the nightstand. It was 2:00 AM. I had to get up in a few hours to make my flight; I was going to be so tired.
I crossed my arms behind my head, thinking about the first time I saw Lauren. I’d been in the middle of a conversation with someone when she walked into the conference room. I’d stopped mid-sentence, distracted when I noticed her long legs in her black pencil skirt, frustrated that it wasn’t shorter. She must be about 5’7”. I had a vision of her long legs wrapped around my waist. Her purple, button-down blouse was tucked in, accentuating her waist and was tight enough to show off the swell of her breasts. Wavy black hair fell to the middle of her back and was pulled off her face with a headband. I found myself wanting to get lost in her hazel eyes. Her lips were full and looked totally kissable.
It had taken me a few seconds to regain my composure before I’d walked over to introduce myself to her. As I had shaken her hand, I could feel the chemistry between us. I knew she had a boyfriend though, so she was off limits. I might be a player, but I wasn’t a home wrecker.
We had a great working relationship over the next two years. We would see each other regularly for work. The sexual tension always seemed to be there under the surface, but since she had been in a committed relationship, we never moved beyond casual flirting. I’d even met Kyle once or twice when she’d brought him along on a couple trips. He’d seemed like a nice enough guy and as her friend, I’d been happy for her.
This time, the game had changed; now she was single. I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened between her and Kyle, but she’d ended her engagement. She hadn’t given me the details and I didn’t ask. We were friends, but we’d always kept it at a professional level. I didn’t want to pry. I was sorry she’d been hurt though. He was an idiot for messing up his chances with a girl like Lauren. I wasn’t interested in a serious relationship with any woman, but if I were it would be with someone like her. She was smart and funny and sexy as hell. Any man would be lucky to have her.
In the months after her break up, our flirting seemed to intensify. When I found out about this business trip, I wondered if something would finally happen between us. I mean, why not? We’re both adults. I wasn’t sure if she’d be ready, although she had commented a few times about needing some fun in her life again. Maybe we could have some friendly fun.
Around 4:30, I decided to get up. I wasn’t going to sleep anymore so I looked over my notes for the day. After going through some emails and checking the slides for my presentation later, I perused our company website for any job postings in Chicago. There were a couple jobs listed pretty close to what I was doing now.
Maybe it was time for a change, especially if this weekend went well with Lauren.
What was I thinking?
Moving for a girl? No way. I shook my head, closed my laptop and headed for the shower.
As I washed my short hair, I started thinking about Lauren. I pictured her next to me, the water beading on her skin before I ran my tongue across the droplets. I squeezed my eyes shut as the soapy water ran down my face, desire coursing through me.
Until recently, I’d tried really hard not to think of her that way. I’d always been attracted to her, but she was taken. I’d never let my mind wander about all the things I wanted to do to her delicious body; I didn’t make it a habit of wanting what I couldn’t have. Now she was single and I was going to see her in a few hours; I couldn’t help but let my imagination run wild. She’d been the object of my masturbation fantasies more than once these past few weeks.
My cock hardened as I thought about kissing those sexy lips of hers. As I washed my chest, my hand wandered down to touch myself, already semi-erect. I bet her lips would look great wrapped around me. I stroked myself a few times, closing my eyes I leaned against the shower wall with my other hand. It wasn’t long before I was rock hard.
I let myself get lost in the fantasy of her for a minute but stopped. A soft groan escaped my lips. I was going to wait. If I was going to sleep with her at all during this trip, I was going to save myself. Reaching for the shower handle, I turned the water a bit colder to calm myself down.
I quickly rinsed and got dressed in some tan dress pants and a navy blue polo shirt. I hoped Lauren would be in one of her sexy suits. She’d worn the one I’d met her in a few other times that I saw her and I always had to fight off an erection when I saw her in it.
