Beck and Call (2 page)

“Crap,” she muttered. “This is not good.” Stepping back on, she hit restart, but her mind was stubborn. After a few minutes, exasperated with herself, she increased the speed and incline.

“No thinking, Serena,” she whispered. “Just feel the muscles working. Put everything into the pace.” Thirty minutes later, she slowed to a walk. The shaken expression on Keith’s face, however brief, immediately reappeared in her mind’s eye. He’d been hurt and she hadn’t seen it. She’d been too caught up in venting pent-up emotions. Honesty forced her to face something. Keith must have seen through her and realized her feelings for him.

With a sigh, she wondered what that would mean to their working relationship. More than once, he’d said that work was no place for personal relationships. If he even suspected the depths of her feelings, he would find a reason to fire her. He might find an equal position for her somewhere, but he wouldn’t want her anywhere near him. That much was obvious from his comment about the company coming first. His snort at her comment about him being CEO and able to manage had told her more than any words.

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Not wanting to consider it, she picked up the pace again. The thought of being transferred or fired spurred her to a run and after twenty minutes the sweat was dripping into her eyes. Stepping off, her head hung as she caught her breath. All Serena could see was Keith’s face. It would almost be better to find another job, away from the company, so she wouldn’t be tempted to blurt out her feelings.

Since running herself to death hadn’t erased his image from her mind, perhaps a session of yoga would calm her heart and clear her thoughts.

Flipping her mat out, Serena stepped to the edge and closed her eyes. Keith’s chiseled face appeared.

Blue eyes mocked her.

“Great,” she murmured, lowering her hands and raising them again. “You’d think I’d be beyond a teenage infatuation.”

Another deep breath and she knew one thing for certain. If she was going to get any sleep at all, MacLauren had to be suppressed.

“Downward-dogs, don’t fail me now,” she whispered.

Keith secured the Velcro around his wrists and walked across the room. With a deep breath, he started pounding the heavy bag in the corner.

Serena’s lunchtime revelations still stung his ego.

Not only had he known precious little about the woman sitting three steps from his office door, but he’d known next to nothing about women he had dated—and fucked—and that pissed him off. He was smart. He was a good judge of character. How the hell could he have been so wrong?

Moving to the speed bag, he unleashed a flurry of punches.

Okay, he would just lay off women for a while.

He would observe their actions and move very carefully from now on. If he needed sex, he would go to the club for a submissive. He’d known 8

Beck And Call

instinctively that socialites wouldn’t agree to be tied, blindfolded, and gagged when he fucked them, so he’d never even tried.

Sweat dripped as he paused, hands on his hips.

So what the hell was he going to do with Serena?

The sudden image of her bound to his bed, waiting for him, speared through his brain.

“Oh, yeah,” he muttered. “You dumbshit! Just what you need, a sexual harassment suit on top of all your other problems!”

Catching the end of a strap in his teeth, he pulled the gloves off and returned to the heavy bag.

Yet, as he went through a series of kicks, the picture would not leave his mind. It was ridiculous to even think about. Serena would never consider a dominant/submissive relationship.

“Dammit!” he growled. “I can’t fuck my assistant!”

But the image wouldn’t go away, leaving him tossing on the king-size bed. Somewhere during the night, a plan came to him. Legal pad in hand, by the time the sky grew light, Keith had things figured out. It would be tricky, risky, and require a helluva lot of luck. Based on what he
did
know of Serena, he was confident that he had a very good chance of not only solving his problems, but showing her a side of herself that she hadn’t even realized existed. Any personal relationship between them would require discretion, or eventually cost both of them.

But would it cost them? Or be better for both of them?

Keith didn’t believe in love between men and women, but he did believe that men and women could have relationships that were both intimate and respectful. It was possible Serena felt the same way. After all, she was thirty, not in a relationship, and seemed reserved around the men in the office.

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Friendly, but she definitely made sure they knew when they crossed the line. Keith couldn’t remember anyone overstepping that line more than once.

Just what could happen? Adjusting his tie, he considered. After all, he was known for anticipating things in the boardroom. All right then, he thought, shrugging into his jacket, let’s review. First, he needed to get the books on or in her desk. If she accepted those, then he had the box ready to be delivered to her apartment. From there, it was a matter of bringing her to him. He could easily arrange that through the club. He had ordered a voice disrupter, the masks, and hoods which would arrive the following day. Getting her to trust him was an absolute necessity. After a minimum of a couple weeks, probably closer to a month, he would reveal his identity to her.

Worst case—Serena figured it was him and sued him and the company for sexual harassment. Mid-case—she rejected the entire scenario before they became intimate and never knew it was him. Best case—she became his sexual submissive.

And at work? He smiled. Well, that would certainly make working late more enjoyable.

Picking up his briefcase, he walked out of his apartment and to the elevator. It was still early, but he had things to take care of.

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Beck And Call

“I’ll see you at kickboxing,” Serena waved to Claire and Debbie before entering the CEO’s suite.

“Yeah,” she muttered to herself. “Just what I need.

The opportunity to look like a clumsy idiot.” Still smiling, she turned to her desk and froze. A plain, brown-paper-wrapped package sat in the middle of the blotter. From the doorway, she couldn’t see any address. Moving slowly, she picked it up. In large block letters, her name was written. Turning it over, she could see nothing else.

A late birthday present? Maybe someone had forgotten to bring it by and dropped it off while she’d been at lunch. Figuring that made sense, she pulled off the paper. It would have been a close contest as to which dropped faster—her jaw or the paper from her hands—as she stared at the cover.

Erotic Stories for Women.
A woman, apparently naked, lay under an equally naked man. A man who was clearly fucking her; their hips were meshed together and he braced himself over her, even as his head bent toward hers for a kiss.

Swallowing, she glanced around furtively to see if anyone had come in while she’d gawked at the cover. She couldn’t imagine who on earth, especially in the company, would give her something like this.

Part of her wanted to call security, but another part was curious. What kind of stories?

Checking the schedule and seeing that Keith didn’t have a meeting for thirty minutes, she turned the book over and read the back. Her mind reeled.

The book contained short stories of couples—some in 11

Abby Gordon

relationships, some coming together just for sex.

Serena found the first tale. Reading the first three pages, she felt her breaths come quicker and shallower with her arousal. A husband came home from a business trip early and found his wife in the kitchen. Unwilling to wait another moment, he trapped her against the counter and took her from behind. Serena bit back a moan as her own pussy clenched. Stunned, she realized her panties were damp. Good lord! If that was the first story, she couldn’t wait to read the rest!

“Serena?” Keith’s voice called from his office.

Gasping, she quickly tucked the book in her purse and opened her bottom drawer, as he appeared at his open doorway. Her eyes went to the brown paper on her desk.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Um, a late birthday present,” she stammered, snatching the paper and shoving it in the drawer as well.

“Going to send it to the hospice as well?” he inquired.

“No,” she shook her head. “Not this one.” She giggled nervously, imagining how a book like that would be received. Keith nodded.

“Do you have the Sampson folder?” Using her foot to close the drawer, she rifled the folders on her desk.

“Right here,” she extended it. “Paul, Duncan and Mark should be here for the VP meeting in thirty minutes.”

Already scanning the first page, Keith nodded absently as he returned to his office. Through the door, he smiled. Bingo! She not only liked the book but, given her flustered reaction, might have actually been reading it. Relieved that the first step in his plan had worked, he forced himself to wait for the next step.

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Beck And Call

In her apartment, safe from any eyes, Serena hung up her coat and pulled the book from her purse. Itching to read it, she knew she needed to exercise and eat dinner first. While she ate, she would read. That decided, she hurried to her bedroom to change. Two hours later and her muscles trembling, she curled up in an oversize rocking chair with a cup of tea and a salad.

Eagerly, she opened the book to the story she’d read earlier. Feeling her nipples tighten, she flushed. She’d never read stories like this, but her body definitely liked them.

Steve opened the door quietly and set his suitcase
down. In the kitchen Sheila was singing along with
the radio. Carefully, he bolted the door and slipped
off his shoes. Moving silently, he went to the kitchen
and paused at the door. Smiling, he saw she must
have just come home from work—thick blonde hair
neatly up off her neck, a thin sweater set, and a full
skirt. Her stockings were off, but slippers kept her feet
warm.

Watching her slender body sway with the beat,
Steve felt his cock thicken and demand her heat.

Without hesitation, he strode across the linoleum.

Pressing his body against hers, he pinned her hips to
the counter. As her mouth opened to scream, he
covered it with his hand, trapping her head against
to his shoulder. His other hand covered a breast,
kneading it roughly. Still not sure who had her, she
struggled in his grasp. One hand reached for the
knife-block and he caught her wrist.

“I’ve been without you for nearly two weeks,
baby,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “I’m not
waiting another minute to fuck you.”
His hands pulled up her skirt and ripped her
panties from her legs. Two fingers plunged into her
pussy and his palm rubbed her clit. Sheila groaned.

As his fingers stroked her wet heat hard and fast,
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Sheila ground her pelvis against him.

“Steve,” she moaned.

“Did you miss me?” he demanded. “Did you have
trouble sleeping because I wasn’t holding you?”

“Yes,” she nodded, already panting and pumping
her hips against his hand. “I never sleep well when
you’re gone.”

“I’m going to make you come and then I’m going
to fuck you. Right here, right now.” His hand covered
her breast over the sweater and pinched the nipple
while he rubbed his cock against her ass. Steve’s
mouth nibbled along her neck and shivers had her
body trembling. “Can you feel how hard I am?”
He felt her pussy clench as his stroking fingers
pushed her closer to orgasm. He’d never been so
rough and urgent. He’d never used language like that
with her. Steve couldn’t believe how his actions and
words aroused her. The hand at her breast kneaded
and pinched. His lips moved to the pulse on her neck
as his fingers hooked and pressed against the spot he
knew so well. Almost immediately, she arched up and
her cry echoed in the kitchen.

Steve moaned as her hot core tightened around
his fingers. God, she was so sexy!

“I’m going to bury my cock in your pussy right
here, Sheila. Right now.”

Releasing her breast, he pulled away slightly to
work his pants down. When she tried to turn around,
he nipped her neck gently.

“Stay still,” he growled. “I’m going to fuck you,
Sheila, and I don’t want you moving.”
Pulling her skirt back up around her waist, he
pressed her upper body forward until she rested
against the counter. His foot nudged hers until her
thighs were farther apart. The tip of his cock glided
along her ass before he found her pussy lips. For a
brief moment, he held himself there just inside her
pussy.