Rocked by Him (16 page)

Right away, his demeanor changed. His face lost some of its angry color, he sagged back in his chair, relaxed on his throne. He even had the nerve to smile a little.

Something about that smile wormed its way inside me, souring some of that earlier triumph. It didn't matter though; he could say what he wanted and then I'd be gone.

"He's a pretty one. Your boyfriend?"

"That's none of your business,
Mr Loughery," I said.

It was just the right thing to say to throw me off guard. Was Drake my boyfriend now?

Bud's smile grew, his wormy lips wriggling away to show his yellowed teeth. "Of course it is. You're still an employee of Styrex. We have a code of ethics around here. And that code is pretty specific about public displays of affection at the office, amongst other things..."

What was he getting
at. I knew about it; the code was a pretty standard list of general office etiquette. I'd binned it after getting it in the mail when I got my job offer.

"Yes, you remember. I see it now." Bud
steepled his fingers and looked at me over the tips. I wanted to call Drake back in.

"Here's how this is going to work. You're going to make like we solved this little problem. I don't like HR breathing down my neck all the time. Then you're going out there and dumping that pretty boyfriend of yours..."

"What?!" I said.

"Keep your voice down. You heard me. Those pretty little ears of yours work just fine, sweetie. You're going to dump him, or you're going to lose your job.
For real, this time. Don't think it will happen? Just try me. You think you can come in here and intimidate me with impunity? You're like all the other pretty girls around here. Good looking, but stupid."

"I don't need this. And I definitely don't need you, you fat old creeper..." I said, my voice getting louder and louder.

Then Bud opened the top drawer of his desk, sucking in his gut to do so. He pulled out a little yellow pad of Post-It notes and scribbled something on one, peeling the note away and putting it on his desk, covering it with his hand.

"Just to prove it to you, I've written a number down on this piece of paper. I like you, sweetie. You've got fire and spunk. You just need to be broken in
, is all." Bud held up his meaty hands to forestall my anger.

"And I know how you women fall prey to your emotions, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you this note, and you're going to give me an answer tomorrow when you come in for work. I won't accept anything from you until tomorrow, is that clear? I want you to sleep on this."

Then Bud folded up the Post-It and tossed it at me. The adhesive clung to the cuff of my jacket. I picked it off and shoved the ball into my pocket without really thinking about it. So many feelings rushed through me. Shock, anger. Even a little fear. They combined to make me cold down to my bones.

It was awful, like some sort of emotional rollercoaster. Earlier I'd been on the way up to the top, hidden in the clouds. Just there in the office I'd come to the cusp. You
know, that scariest part in the rollercoaster ride. That bit when you just seem to hang at the top of the world.

And then the long, fast drop.

Bud waved me away, then spun around in his chair to look out the window. I left his office.

"What is it? What happened?" Drake said as I took his hand and pulled him away. I wanted to revel in the way his skin felt against mine. In the way his hands, large, yet graceful, seemed able to engulf mine.

But all I could think of was how much I hated Bud. My hatred just grew more intense, feeding back into itself.

"Did it go well?" Lucinda said.

"It went fine. Thanks again," I said over my shoulder.

From Lucinda's lack of response, I figure that my current emotional state leaked into my voice. My "thank you" probably sounded more like telling her off.

And that made me hate myself, too. Lucinda didn't deserve that sort of treatment, least of all from me.

"You're good with marketing stuff, aren't you?" Drake said as he led me towards the elevator. I wanted to rip the "
Styrex, Inc" sign off the wall.

Most of all, I wanted to know how things could keep changing for me so quickly. Fired, not fired. Found a great
guy, have to choose between great guy and job!

But I recognized that Drake just wanted to calm me down. These musician types seemed pretty in tune with emotions, other people's and their own. He had come to my rescue more than once now, I had to admit.

The fire inside me cooled somewhat, and I stopped trying to squeeze his hand like it was a stressball.

"Yeah, my degree's in marketing, actually."

The elevator dinged, and the stainless steel door slid open to reveal an empty car. That was a relief. I didn't want to be near anyone but Drake at the moment. Or ever, really.

I mean, it didn't matter what Bud had written on that balled-up Post-It I had in my pocket. No amount of money was worth sacrificing a blossoming relationship.

Right?

"That is awesome. I was talking with the guys, and we decided that what the band really needs is a great presence online. A good campaign, you know?"

"Yeah..." I said, my thoughts still on discovering just how wide Bud's fat neck was by wrapping my fingers around it and squeezing.

"You got your job back. It's all okay. I'm the one who's supposed to have the attitude, you know," Drake said.

I almost told him about the note, and about Bud's demand. But the words just couldn't come out. So instead I just watched the numbers on the elevator display count down.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Drake said. He grabbed my shoulders and faced me towards him. His fingers were firm, yet insistent on me.

"Don't worry; I'm here," he said.

I couldn't look at him. He put one finger under my chin and lifted my face up. Then he kissed me.

A security camera in the top corner of the elevator watched us impassively, but I didn't care. Suddenly, all I knew was his body pressing mine into the corner, one of his hands climbing up my thigh, lifting up my proper business skirt.

Another heat ignited inside me. Drake's lips found my neck, and his fingers laced their way into my hair, pulling it into little
fistfuls that hurt and felt amazing at the same time.

"Oh..." I said.

"Jenn..." he said, finishing with another kiss, apparently too overcome to find the words.

Then the elevator dinged again.

By the time the doors opened to admit a white-haired old man with a wrinkly face and frightening eyebrows, Drake and I stood at arm's length from each other.

The only sign of our little elevator affair was a
hicky he'd left on my throat, and I let my hair fall so it would cover it.

"Lovely
day, isn't it?" the old business man said.

Drake and I shared a look, and my body flushed with heat. The old man either didn't see, or didn't understand.

"Really nice, yeah," Drake said.

Then we were out on Madison Avenue, almost blending in with the throngs of people making their ways up and down the sidewalk.

Normally, I might have noticed the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. But right then, I couldn't keep my eyes, my thoughts, or even my hands off Drake. The city was a blur around me, the only real people he and I, the two of us sharp against the unfocused backdrop.

"So, I'm thinking hotdogs for lunch," Drake said, scanning for an appropriate peddler of hotdogs somewhere close by, "What do you want?"

Too much had happened today for me to play coy, or lead him around on a chase. There was only one thing that would satisfy the deep hunger inside me.

"The only thing I want for lunch is you. And for dinner and dessert," I said, letting my hand slip down his jacket to cup his very firm butt. Just touching it like that had me trembling, feeling like I might actually float away from the ground if I didn't have him to hang on to.

Drake squeezed me against him, raising one hand up while we stood on the curb. A yellow Crown Victoria diverged from the stream of traffic and pulled up to us.

***

For some reason, I wanted to be in my apartment instead of his. On the bad side, this meant a slightly longer ride in the elevator up one more floor. On the good side, it meant a longer elevator ride. More being held tightly by him as we explored each other with our hands, more of his hot kisses on my neck when I arched my head back.

It was a miracle no one saw us. Or maybe someone did. I can't exactly be sure. All I knew right then was that he tasted good, and I liked the way his hands felt me, like he was barely able to keep from ripping my
business wear off then and there, right in the corner of the elevator.

The next challenge turned out to be untangling our bodies long enough for me to dig out my key and slide it into the lock.

My body tightened when I did that, saliva squirting into my mouth while my naked desire burned right through me.

It was not like any other time I had been with a man. As soon as we got through the door, he slammed it shut behind him, picked me up in his arms, and carried me to the bedroom, putting me right on my bed.

He pulled my jacket off me, and wrenched at my blouse so hard two buttons came off in his hand.

"I've wanted this for so long," I said, running my fingers through his soft hair. He worked his lips down into my cleavage. The heat of his breath rushing between my breasts had my nipples stiff against my
bra in moments, and I wanted to know how those hot lips of his would feel around them.

I knew it was true about wanting him. I knew that I had wanted him from that first moment of seeing him in the elevator.

He undid my blouse completely then, letting his hand run over my bare stomach before reaching up to cup my breast. When he felt how stiff my nipple got for him, he tweaked it lightly through the bra. It was a delicious pain that made my back arch.

I'd never felt the desire come on quite so quickly and strongly before. Not even in the dressing room.

There was something manic in it, something desperate in the way I needed him at that moment.

He expertly undid my bra,
then teased me by not pulling it off. My body buzzed with the need for him to see it, for him to take in my nakedness and desire.

But then he pulled off his own shirt, showing m
e that smooth skin and those nice abs from earlier.

Except this time, I could touch them. And I did. I ran my hands over them, feeling the muscle beneath the skin.

This time, I could touch whatever I wanted. My hand slipped lower, feeling the strength of his desire for me as it bulged against his pants. I ran my fingers along it, reveling in its hardness, reveling in my anticipation for him.

"I need you," I said.

Drake slipped lower, dipping his head so that he could kiss my bare stomach and excite my skin to goosebumps. "I know," he said.

His hands strayed back up my back, slipping beneath my bra to cup my bare breasts, my nipples hard against his palms.

He let his kisses rain over my body, me enjoying every instant of his naked lips against me. Heat blossomed inside of me, coursing through every vein as though my heart pumped lusty desire.

Finally, he worked his way down my legs. He pulled my heels off and let them drop with two
thuds
on the floor. Then his hands moved up the outside of my thighs, grabbing my tights, and pulled them down.

It took feeling the heat of his breath against me to realize he'd taken my panties down at the same time. I wore nothing beneath my skirt.

My body writhed on the bed when his sultry lips began their journey back up my legs. Each time, he seemed to take a little longer, relishing the way I moaned for him to kiss me where I wanted it the most.

I wanted him to feel how wet I'd become for him, how slick the thought of being with him made me.

When he could no longer part my legs because of my skirt, he pushed it up. This close, I could run my fingers through his hair again as I listened to his hungry noises. He wanted this as much as I did, the anticipation killing him, too.

But the longer he drew it out, the better it felt.

My hips began thrusting up when his mouth began doing a slow, teasing circle around my sex. So maddeningly close! The heat of his breath against my most sensitive parts drove me wild.

"Drake... Please... Drake..." I said.

"How badly do you want it?" he said, daring to take his lips away from my body.

"I need it! I need you!" I said.

"I need you, too," he replied.

Then he kissed me, the tip of his tongue exploring the slickness between my lips. My fingers tightened in his hair when he found that special
spot, and I pushed against his mouth.

My body arched as his tongue refused to let up against me, seeming to flick and lick harder and faster. He could see, feel, and taste my pleasure rising, and he intended to bring it as high as he could.