Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (24 page)

“Slow it down,
honey, or I’m going to come again.” His voice sounded strained.

It only served
to fuel my pace from fast to furious. Rubbing harder and faster, I joined him
over the edge and collapsed on his chest. After lying there a minute, I missed
his hands stroking my back. Rising up, I leaned over him and untied him slowly.

I was
unceremoniously flipped onto my back, the moment he was free with his face diving
at my center with a vengeance.

“I can’t believe
that turns you on after.”

His fingers
worked our combined wetness. “Knowing this is you and me together is incredibly
hot.” He kissed, sucked, and rubbed until I was crying his name and lay there
boneless.

How could I
possibly argue with the man?

***

Waking up the
next morning, I attempted to stretch, only to find my hands and legs bound.
What the hell? A momentary flash of panic hit me, but Brian’s voice came from
behind me.

“You were sound
asleep, so I couldn’t resist.” He came into view and stood beside the bed.

I twisted my
head to see him. “What is it you plan on doing with me?” The possibilities were
starting to turn me on.

“Feed you.”

Did I hear him
correctly? “You tied me up to feed me?”

He chuckled,
leaving for the door when a knock sounded. He returned with a tray in his hands.
“You sound disappointed.”

I offered him a
wry smile. “Actually, I’m hungry, too.”

“Good. Here, let
me put a couple pillows under your head.” He stood back and popped open a
bottle of champagne. After pouring it into a flute and mixing in some orange
juice, he sat down next to me on the bed. “Want a taste of mimosa?”

I nodded, and he
brought the glass to my lips. I sipped slowly, letting the cool bubbly slide
down my throat. Next he held up a strawberry. I took a bite, hardly believing
how intimate it was to have him feed me. He repeated the pattern one last time.
After eating the last strawberry, his fingers danced over my stomach. Then
lower, palming my sex. I closed my eyes at the exquisite way his touch could
make me feel.

“Do you know how
incredibly sexy you look, tied up and at my mercy?” He set the glass down on
the table.

I shivered with
the thought. “Should I be nervous?”

He flashed me a
wicked grin. “I did warn you that you’d be mine the rest of the week after last
night. By the way, our champagne is courtesy of Tami and Lester. I have a
feeling Tami had quite the evening last night.”

“Well, happy
anniversary to them.” I inhaled sharply when his thumb went to work on my clit,
massaging expertly precise circles.

He grabbed the
champagne bottle and splashed some over my stomach and chest, following with
his hot mouth. I moaned in delight at the sensation of him lapping the cool
liquid off of me. He sucked and teased my nipples to hardened peaks, bringing
me to climax with his skilled fingers. When my eyes finally flickered open, I
saw him observing me intently.

“I love watching
you come.” He took bacon from the plate and waved it in front of my mouth.

I nipped it away
from him, making him laugh. “As much as I love bacon, please don’t rub that
over me.”

His lips
twitched. “That does have possibilities, but I’d rather just serve it to you.”
He spent the next hour feeding me breakfast morsels, alternating with eating
his own meal off of me.

I never would
have associated being fed with the word erotic, but I certainly did now.

Later, we lay in
bed, slugging the afternoon away after an entire morning devoted to sex and
food. “I have something I’d like to ask you for.” I held his hand and traced
the lines.

He looked like
he was bracing himself. “What’s that?”

“That in another
few months, maybe I can have another evening like last night.”

His face was
unreadable. “Why?”

“Because
sometimes I’m so caught up in what you’re doing to me that I don’t get to pay
attention to you. And now that I have those little groans and growls as a
soundtrack in my head, I want more. And I feel like you haven’t trusted another
woman like that before.”

His arms went
around me. “In the spirit of being vulnerable, I will tell you that I haven’t
done that before. And I do trust you, but it’s hard for me to give up complete
control like that. However, for you and only every few months, I will do it if
it makes you happy.”

I smiled
enthusiastically and kissed him for agreeing. It wasn’t lost on me that we’d
made the assumption that there would be another few months together.

When Brian’s
phone rang, he got up and answered it in his ‘office voice’ and then took it
out onto the balcony. I couldn’t make out the words, and when he came back in
the room, it was hard to read his expression.

“Everything
okay?” I asked.

He sighed. “Do
you want the good or the bad news first?”

“Bad news,” I
answered without hesitation.

He rolled his
eyes and took a seat next to me on the bed. “Tough. You’re getting the good
news first. It flows better that way.”

I would have
preferred to hear the bad first and get it over with, but he was probably still
figuring out how to spin it as was his nature.

“The good news
is that was Vanessa from Tryon Pharmaceuticals. We got the account.”

“But—” I hedged,
bracing myself for the negative. Was I off the account? Were they changing the
team?

He leaned in to
kiss me. “But we’ll have to fly out tonight and meet with them tomorrow. I
tried to get it delayed until Monday, but she said the only day she and the chairman
can do is tomorrow.”

Oh, our trip was
being cut short by a few days. It was disappointing but not as terrible as I’d
been expecting. “That’s unfortunate, but other than that, everything else is
okay?”

He narrowed his
eyes, and I could tell immediately that I’d said something wrong. “Sure, other
than having this time together cut short, everything else is fine.”

He was
definitely pissed if he used the word
fine
. “Brian, wait—”

But he was
already changing quickly into his swim trunks. “I’m going to do some laps at
the pool. If you don’t mind calling our travel agent to book flights home
tonight, I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

Our perfect
bubble had popped with one phone call. I was proud we’d won the business with
Tryon Pharmaceuticals, but something told me tomorrow would be a reality check
of epic proportions.

The meeting with
Tryon Pharmaceuticals was set for this morning. Brian thankfully had been back
to his old self by the time he’d returned from the pool at the hotel yesterday
and we’d packed up, taking an evening flight back to New York. But now I didn’t
know what to expect. Getting ready with him back in my condo was throwing me
off my game. It was getting harder to draw professional lines when we’d spent
the last few days being intimate, carefree, and a couple. Then this morning we woke
up, showered, and ate breakfast together ready to go to work.

“What’s wrong?”
Brian asked on the cab ride over to Tryon’s offices.

“Nothing,” I
murmured, smoothing down my long black skirt. Once again, I was covered from
head to toe courtesy of the profile sheet, this time in the skirt with a blue
long-sleeve blouse. The look was crisp and professional, but I’d mixed it up a
bit with my black four-inch heels. A girl had to preserve some personal style.

“Lie to me again
and see what happens.” He’d repeated the words I’d said to him in Aruba.

When I met his
eyes, I saw amusement and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. “Okay,
for a pitch I can prepare, rehearse, and definitively know that I’m ready. For
straight-up meetings, it’s more difficult to know what to expect.” I was
careful not to say anything about my confidence level or insecurity. He
wouldn’t expect that from me, and I wasn’t going to share it.

His eyes
softened, and he took my hand. “There’s never been a time where I haven’t seen
you handle your own. Keep in mind this is business, and that means swallowing
your pride. You may have to defer to the client even when you don’t want to.
Vanessa is the alpha, but it’ll help to have the chairman, Michael, there
today. Considering he practically lit up during the second presentation when you
walked in, it’s clear the old man is a fan. You’ll do great.”

As usual, he
could make me feel better by laying out the facts in a way that eased my mind.
I smiled tightly and took a breath. Unfortunately, though he might have a gift for
smoothing things over, he couldn’t predict the future.

***

We met in the
same conference room at Tryon Pharmaceutical’s offices that we had the previous
two times for the pitches. Michael Dobson greeted me warmly. Maybe this meeting
wouldn’t be too bad, after all.

Vanessa kissed
Brian’s cheek, and I had to carefully mask my expression at her enthusiastic
greeting. Clearly, she was happy to see him, but her glance toward me was
downright frosty.

“Brian, you look
tanned. Did you get back from vacation? Actually, Sasha, you look like you got
some sun, too,” Vanessa commented with a brow raised.

Before I could
register what she was implying, Brian covered smoothly. “One of the perks of
working for Gamble Advertising would be the Gamble Properties’ hotels and the
fact that we have retreats in Vegas and other sunny locales. All of the vice presidents
came back last week.”

Brian could do
improv full time; he was so exceptionally good at it.

Vanessa smiled,
and Michael got down to business.

“We wanted to go
over some specifics and, of course, sign on the dotted line today,” Michael
started out. “Vanessa will be your point of contact, and she’ll keep the board
up to date. I’m assuming, Sasha, you’ll be our client care representative at
Gamble Advertising?”

I smiled. “Yes.
I’ll be the account manager.” My eyes met Vanessa’s and saw the challenge.

“You know, I
spend quite a bit of time out of our North Carolina plant these days. Might be
easier if Brian was the lead on the account since he’s located in the Charlotte
office,” she reasoned.

Oh, she’d like
that. “It’s not a problem. I’m down in the Charlotte office often and will
ensure that I make arrangements to be there whenever we need to meet.” I tried
to keep my voice friendly.

Her smile didn’t
reach her eyes. “Fine. I’ll get the best of both worlds with the two of you.”

Brian didn’t
miss a beat. “I assure you, you’re in the very best hands with Sasha. However,
it would be my pleasure to attend meetings when possible.”

I tried not to
let it make me feel jealous. This was business, and I’d seen Brian charm women
young and old. Vanessa was not the exception, and yet her smile toward him made
it clear she thought she was.

Michael launched
into a few specific details, and forty minutes later we had the signed contract
in hand. He turned and looked toward me. “Are you counting the days toward
pre-season yet, Sasha?”

I nodded, but
before I could answer, Vanessa interrupted.

“Michael, I
would think it would be obvious that Sasha read you were a Cowboys fan and came
prepared to flatter you with regurgitated details of your favorite team. I
highly doubt she’s truly a fan of football.”

Michael blushed
slightly, and Brian nudged me under the table. He undoubtedly knew which
direction this was heading.

I smiled
tightly. “In the interest of full disclosure, Mr. Dobson, I did know you were a
Cowboys fan. However, I could recite the same type of information on any team
in the league or on any Super Bowl dating back the last thirty years. I’m
unequivocally a diehard football fan.”

He brightened
and then looked thoughtful. “Super Bowl thirty-four,” he challenged, sitting
back in his chair.

I grinned. “The
Rams beat the Titans that year. It was quite the game when the Titans came back
to tie it after being down sixteen points. McNair was the quarterback for the
Titans, but it was Curt Warner for the Rams who would complete his Cinderella
story and earn the MVP for the game. Personally, it was one of my favorite Super
Bowls in recent history.”

He slapped the
table. “I tell you something, Sasha. If your boss wasn’t sitting right here
next to you and it wouldn’t be considered highly inappropriate, I’d either try
to hire you on the spot or try to set you up with my grandson. But because I’m
old, my filter fails me from time to time, so I’ll say it even knowing I can’t
act on it.” He looked toward Brian. “I hope you don’t allow her into your
fantasy football league, else she’d most likely clean up.”

Brian’s smile
was strained, and I realized in looking at Vanessa why he’d nudged me. Her eyes
were narrowed. Shit, I’d won a challenge I hadn’t meant to participate in.

“That’s good
advice, Michael,” Brian said. “Sasha will call today to get the ad placed in
the Cowboys’ stadium. Monday we can meet wherever your preference, Vanessa, for
the magazine spots for phase one.”

“Why don’t we
meet in New York after all on Monday as I’m spending the weekend in the city. I
look forward to it.” Vanessa barely flicked her eyes back in my direction.

Michael stood up
ready to go. “I know this is in good hands between the three of you. Vanessa
will keep me updated. I’ll be in touch about those Dallas tickets, Sasha.” And
with that, the chairman left us.

Vanessa went
over a few more logistics but essentially treated me like a third wheel for the
remainder of any conversation.

***

Once we got into
a taxi heading back to my office, I let out a sigh, knowing I was about to get
a lecture. The thing was that Brian’s lectures weren’t all that bad if I was
being honest. He never got angry and always tried to keep things positive and
fair. But I wasn’t in the mood even for that.

“You didn’t
actually expect that I’d sit there and listen to her tell him that I’d simply
studied the Cowboys for no other reason than to regurgitate details for him?” I
broke the silence.

He exhaled
heavily. “Did I expect it? No. Did I hope that perhaps you could have smiled
and said that you’re a football fan of all teams without showing off? Yeah, I
did have a sliver of optimism.” He sounded weary in his response.

“It would be
easier sometimes if you got angry instead of this
I’m disappointed
tone.”

He shook his
head. “And sometimes it would be easier if you listened to me and to Josh when
we tell you that Vanessa needs to be treated with kid gloves, not shown up.
This is business, Sasha, not personal, which means that we suck it up and defer
to the client.”

I fought my
temper. It wasn’t that he was wrong. Once again, my pride had gotten involved
and I’d opened my big mouth. “Michael is our client, too,” I defended.

He gave me a pointed
look. “You proved that he absolutely loves you and would like to either hire
you or set you up on a date—which only went further to piss off Vanessa.”

“He’s her boss,
so that can’t be all bad. Plus it’s obvious she wants me off this campaign when
she made the comment about hoping to move things to Charlotte. We both know the
majority of her business with the board is up here. She only did that to see if
it would be a way of getting me off the account.” The taxi pulled up in front
of the building, and we walked through the lobby, putting the conversation on
pause until back in my office.

“And you did
nothing to try to convince her that you belonged on the account, except to say
it wasn’t a problem for you to travel down there when necessary. Come Monday, you
need to put the same research skills you used to charm Michael into making an
effort with her, at the very least. I’m not going to sit in meetings and play
mediator between the two of you.”

“I don’t
remember asking you to.” Funny how this was the first time in months that we
were sniping like we used to do quite often.

“I think it’s
clear she would like me there for a reason.”

“Yeah, no
kidding.” I took a seat my desk and didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm.

He leaned
forward, sitting in the visitor’s chair across from me. “You’re going to have
to stow the pride or any jealousy. You can be pissed at me, but I’m speaking to
you as your boss in this moment. This account is huge, and you put a lot of
effort into ensuring we beat out five other agencies. You need to refocus that
energy on keeping the client happy.”

I swallowed hard,
knowing he was right and, although I’d never admit it, being turned on that he
never backed down from telling me the truth even if I did get pissed off at
him. “I will do better come Monday,” I vowed, knowing it wouldn’t be easy. “I’m
working late tonight, but I should be able to show you something by tomorrow
for Monday’s presentation.”

He nodded. “If
you need anything, call me. Send me the draft once you have it ready. I’ll be
available this weekend.”

I tried to hide
the disappointment that he was leaving tonight. But hadn’t I said I’d be
working late? The part that bothered me the most was that he hadn’t said
anything about coming in Sunday and seeing me, either. His trip back to New
York on Monday was obviously going to be all business, and he was making that
clear. I should’ve been relieved but instead confusion peppered my thoughts.
“Yeah, okay.”

With one last
look he said, “I’ll let you get to it, then and see you Monday.”

***

I worked until
almost midnight in the office. Before leaving, I emailed Brian the first draft
of the presentation. Once again, work was my salvation to turn off everything
else. When I got home, I saw that he had already reviewed the draft and only
had a few minor changes. Obviously, he was up, too. It was tempting to call him
but I decided I wouldn’t be the first to do so. Instead, I made the changes, and
emailed them back at two o-clock in the morning. Once my head hit the pillow, I
basically passed out.

The next morning
I saw that he’d responded with a generic ‘thank you’ at two-thirty, and that
had been it. I wondered if he’d also been thinking we could still be in Aruba
enjoying our last couple of days. Most likely he remained pissed off for what
had transpired during our meeting. Shit. That was the number one item on my
agenda today. Research on one Ms. leopard-print-fuck-me-heels Vanessa Warner.
And the first order of business was to stop referring to her as that in my head
if I was to make a sincere effort.

By four o’clock
that afternoon, I felt better about a couple of different ways I could attempt
to relate to Vanessa. She was born and raised in North Carolina, not far from
where I’d grown up. She’d gone to Duke, which was my rival school having gone
to UNC, and she was a class A bitch. Damn, two steps forward and one giant one
back.

I needed advice on
how to make nice, and for that, I called Catherine. Considering I had no other
plans for a Saturday night, I was pleased when she suggested dinner and drinks.

I met her at a
busy restaurant near her condo on the Upper West side. I hadn’t seen her in a
few weeks and looked forward to a quality girls’ night.

“Sasha, you look
lovely. You’re growing out your hair. I like it.” She kissed me on the cheek,
and we took our seats at the table.

I smiled, taking
in her impeccable taste in fashion with her stunning black-and-white checked
dress and four-inch heels. “Thank you. You look amazing, Catherine. I love the
dress and have you lost weight?” Not that she needed to, but she looked slimmer
than the last time I’d seen her.