What Goes Up (4 page)

Wiggle to the left, wiggle to the right, uh huh,
wiggle to the left, wiggle to the right…

She was so lost in her own little world of tiny
booty shakes that she didn’t notice Trevor until he cleared his
throat and stepped into her office. “Miss Evans, am I
interrupting?”

She stopped mid-shake and swung her gaze to him,
heat burning her cheeks.

Even after five years of working with him, Trevor’s
appearance still caught her off guard, his chestnut hair, sparkling
blue eyes, and dimpled smile making her breath catch. And she
hadn’t even gotten to his body. An ex-football player, he kept up
the workout regime from his youth and his muscled body showed it. A
pressed, finely made dress shirt encased wide shoulders, and his
expansive chest tapered to a trim waist, washboard stomach, and
narrow hips which led to his heavily muscled and powerful thighs.
All muscle, from head to foot, Trevor was a great big, walking,
talking bit of
yum
. The best part? He didn’t seem to have a
clue about his appeal and still saw himself as a geeky teenager
tripping over his own two feet.

She swallowed hard, praying for the lump in her
throat disappear. “No, not at all, Mr. Baxter.” She cleared her
throat. “Can I help you with something?”

Being Garrison Corp’s development controller, she
and Trevor occasionally worked together. She headed up the
development division’s accounting group while Trevor headed up the
construction division’s. Both of them held the title of controller,
meaning they controlled every penny, nickel, and dime that went in
or out in their respective divisions. He held a stack of papers in
his hand, and she assumed he wanted to discuss the upcoming
Raleigh, North Carolina project. At least, that’s what he probably
wanted everyone else to think.

He closed the door with a soft click then sat in the
chair across from her and spread out the papers he’d been holding
on her desk. He leaned over the papers, and she did the same. He
pointed to a million dollar figure and his cologne teased her nose.
It was her new favorite scent, Pleasures for men.

She focused on what he was showing her and resisted
the urge to wiggle in her seat. Her pussy throbbed. Trevor’s
presence always did that to her. His smile, those dimples, the
sound of his voice always got her motor running.

He shuffled a few pages and laid another one in
front of her, pointing to some other hundred thousand dollar number
and she furrowed her brow, confused. Everything they worked with
was in the millions. Nothing, not even the cost of doorknobs came
in hundreds of thousands. Did that mean his salary…“Trevor…
What—?”

His deep baritone cut her off, singing the lyrics to
“Eye of the Tiger,” which both of them knew by heart due to
watching
Rocky
way too many times on a Friday night.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Again.
And whispered, “Seriously?”

Her gaze met his and he nodded.

“Ho-ly—”

“Yup.” He smiled, dimples and all, like the smug
bastard he deserved to be.

“Starting when?” she whispered. There was no reason
to whisper with the door closed, but she still couldn’t wrap her
head around the thought of Trevor being promoted. Her Trevor was
now the Chief Financial Officer of Garrison Corporation, and his
paycheck now had more zeros than she could have imagined.

He shuffled the papers again, probably to make it
seem like they were working. Since they’d begun dating six months
before, they’d both agreed that keeping their personal relationship
private was for the best. Even though they worked as equals, Trevor
worried about talk circulating the office, and she reluctantly had
bowed to his wishes. More than once she’d wanted to set the record
straight when one of the other women in the office stared at his
ass a little too long, but she kept her mouth shut.

Trevor pointed to another area on the piece of
paper. Replacement. This is how it was with Trevor in the office.
He somehow imagined that everyone was listening, watching, and
waiting for them to slip up and reveal their relationship. They
weren’t doing anything wrong by being together. The company
handbook didn’t prohibit intercompany relationships, but he still
wanted to keep it a secret. He didn’t want
anything
to stand
in his way when it came to his career.

Secretly, she had worried about what this promotion
would mean to them. Now, he truly held a position of power over her
in the boardroom and not just in the bedroom any longer. Ever since
talk of his promotion began circulating, they’d managed to skirt
the issue, but now it was staring them square in the eyes.

“Wow. How long do you think that’ll take?”

Trevor sorted the papers and grabbed one before he
leaned back into his chair, pretending to read it. He shrugged. “I
don’t know. We’re debating on promoting from within or looking
outside the company. There’s talk that Eric will take my place. For
now, I told them I’d think about their offer. I’m taking the rest
of the day to think it over.”

Ashley slumped back into her chair, mouth hanging
open. “Think it over. What’s there to think about, Trev? I mean,
this is what you’ve been working toward—”

“I’m worried about what it’ll mean to us, Ash.”

She snapped her mouth closed. “It won’t mean a damn
thing because we won’t let it. Period.” She reached for the other
papers he’d left strewn across her desk and straightened them. “Our
relationship is just that, Trevor, ours.”

“But there could be talk and one of us might have
to…”

“Sue the company for wrongful termination?” She
raised her eyebrows and snorted. “Ha, Garrison is old, not stupid.
You worry too much, Trev. Nothing’s going to change. This isn’t an
either or situation. Now, how are we celebrating?”

Ashley was sure the change of topic wasn’t lost on
Trevor, but for once he let her lead. The grin she fell in love
with appeared in no time, and she didn’t miss the sparkle in his
eyes. And it was all for her. She still couldn’t wrap her head
around the fact that the man across from her adored her like no
other, but he did. Thunder thighs, big ass, wide hips, and all, he
really did care for her. Hell, if she wasn’t so insecure, she’d
think he loved her.

She readily admitted to herself, and only herself,
that their relationship wasn’t normal by today’s standards, but it
was hers. Lock, stock, and flogger, they had each other, and
everywhere but work Trevor was in charge.

Trevor rose from the chair in one fluid movement and
gathered the papers strewn across her desk. “We still have a lot to
talk about—”

“There’s nothing to talk about. This changes
nothing, Trevor.” She covered one of his hands with her own.
“Nothing.”

He nodded, but she still saw the hesitation in his
eyes. A wariness she’d never seen crept into his face, and worry
gnawed at her belly. “We’re celebrating at your place tonight. I’ll
handle everything; you just need to come home and be beautiful.” He
strode toward the door and looked back to issue one final order.
“You’ll be home by six, no earlier, no later. Understood?”

Her answer was immediate, as was the moisture
flooding her pussy and soaking through her panties when he took
that tone. “Yes, sir.”

Five-thirty didn’t come soon enough for Ashley.
She’d tried to keep herself busy with reviewing different proposals
and projects, but thoughts of the night to come plagued her. She
didn’t doubt for a second the cuffs would be out when she came
home, but what else did Trevor have planned?

She brushed the thoughts aside as she pulled into
her driveway and cut the engine on her car. Butterflies took up
residence in her belly, and her pussy felt heavy, achy. Twin
emotions of anticipation and fear coursed through her, and she took
a deep, calming breath and begged her heart to slow. Nothing that
would happen in her home with Trevor would be harmful, but she
couldn’t help being a bit wary and excited at the same time. In six
short months, Trevor had burrowed into her heart and camped out. As
her Dom, he’d pushed her to her limits, strained her boundaries,
and even crossed a few when he sensed that they were in place due
to fear of the unknown.

Would he be pushing limits tonight? Or would it be
an evening of pleasure? Part of her craved the pain and his wicked
sharp tongue, while the other relished his gentle touches and sweet
murmured words. Unwilling to delay the inevitable any longer, she
grabbed her briefcase and opened the car door. It was a few short
steps from the driveway to the front door. She tried the knob, and
when it turned easily she stepped through the doorway, realizing
her error a second too late.

Strong hands gripped her arms from behind and pushed
her through the entryway and to the living room. She was bent over
the couch before she could utter a word of protest, and a heavy
breath panted in her ear. “What was the order, princess?” Deep,
growling. The hard body molded to her ass and back, keeping her
pinned to the back of the couch.

“Six, not before, not after, sir.” She whimpered in
need and fear. She’d already earned a punishment, and while her
mind screamed no, her pussy couldn’t wait to feel his lash on her
back and ass.

Trevor’s hands stroked her sides and then skimmed
her arms before knotting in her hair to pull her head up and back.
“And what time is it now, princess?”

She gasped and winced against the stinging pain in
her scalp. Her eyes searched the room, looking for the clock that
was no longer there. Bastard. He always did this. Always
anticipated her mistakes and seemed to stack the cards against her
so she’d earn another punishment. Good thing she loved the man.

One of his hands left her hair and reached around
her to cup her breast. He kneaded and squeezed the flesh. Fingers
finding her hardened nipple with ease, he pinched through her
blouse and bra. She arched into his hand and shrunk away at the
same time. She both craved and hated the pain and pleasure Trevor
could cause. “Well, what time is it? I won’t ask again,” he all but
growled in her ear.

Her watch. The one on her wrist.
Fuck
.
Sometimes she really was a lust-crazed idiot. She brought her wrist
into her line of sight and glanced at the hands marking the time.
“Five fifty-eight, sir.”

He gripped her nipple tighter, twisting as he
pinched. Trevor’s erection seared her ass, sliding between her
cheeks, and she wished he’d just order her to strip already. The
musk of leather mixed with Trevor’s cologne surrounded her,
shrouded her in his scent. The warmth of his bare chest seeped
through her blouse, and a chill raced up her spine. Already he was
prepared for the night to come.

She knew what she’d see if he released her.
Bare-chested, his lightly tanned skin would glow in the low
lighting of her living room. A dusting of hair would circle his
pecs before forming a straight line beneath the leather pants that
she knew he loved to wear when they played together because of the
way the material melted and molded to the his body and truly became
a second skin. He’d be barefoot, comfortable enough in her home to
wear his pants and nothing more.

He rubbed his cock against her ass once again before
releasing her breast. “And you’ve already earned your first
punishment, haven’t you? Such a disappointment, princess.”

Princess
. She hated that nickname, which had
only served to make him use it whenever they enjoyed these
sessions. Bitch, slut, whore. She could tolerate anything but
princess
. To a woman who’d worked damned hard for everything
in her life, being called a princess was galling. And he loved
it.

He slid his hand over her stomach to the juncture of
her thighs and pressed with the heel of his hand. She arched and
moaned in response, the slight pressure sending tremors of pure
pleasure zinging along every nerve. “Please…”

Trevor’s forceful tone and deep murmurs against her
ear as his hand played her body aroused her like nothing before.
Her pussy throbbed with the need to be filled, fucked. The moisture
gathering in her folds soaked through the silk of her panties and
coated her inner thighs. She knew what he’d find if he delved
beneath the fabric under his palm.

He pressed harder, fingers curling against the
fabric of her skirt. “Please? What are you begging for?” He scraped
his teeth along her neck and she shivered. “Tell me.”

“Fuck me, let me come, please.”

Trevor rubbed small circles above her pussy, and her
knees folded beneath her. So close. A few harsh words and twinges
of pain and she was ready to come all over his hand if he’d let
her.

“I believe you left something out, princess.”

She cringed. “Sir. Fuck me, let me come, please,
sir
.”

She looked over her shoulder and forced a sweet
smile she prayed was alluring and tempting at the same time. It
didn’t work.

Just as quickly as he’d pinned her to the couch, he
released her and took a step back. Ashley was thankful for the
support the furniture provided since her knees weren’t quite ready
to bear her weight just yet. Anger and arousal warred within her,
and just as soon as she could stand, she whirled on Trevor with a
growl.
Bastard
. She nearly said it, but the promise of what
was to come kept her in check.

“Not quite yet, but maybe if you play nice for the
next little while you’ll get more than you bargained for, baby.
Now, go on into the bedroom and get ready for me.” His smile didn’t
quite reach his eyes, but she pushed the thought aside. Sometimes,
when he was really going to push her, he worried at the same
time.

He’d told her once that the evil sadist within
fought with the Southern gentleman his momma taught him to be.
She’d assured him that her masochist appreciated that, but could he
hit her just a few more times with the cane before the gentleman
made himself known again?