Need (13 page)

It was as if something snapped inside him. I saw the look in his eyes change only a moment before he launched himself at me. I managed to get out of the way for the most part, but he still knocked me off balance and sent me tumbling into the desk.

He was back up in record time, but I was ready for him. When he came at me, I stepped to the side and landed a punch to his gut. The punch slowed him down a little, but he was not giving up. When he came after me again, he took a swing at my face.

He missed.

I didn’t.

My fist landed solidly on his jaw, and his head jerked back from the impact. This time, I didn’t wait for him to get his feet back under him. I took him by his shirt collar and hit him once more for good measure before bringing his face to mine. 

“I suggest you move to another city, Karl. You will never find a job in Minneapolis again unless it’s flipping hamburgers. And if I
ever
hear of you ‘imposing yourself’ on a woman again, I will see that you spend a very long time behind bars.”

With that, I shoved him toward the door where the two security guards were waiting. They’d been instructed to watch but not interfere unless I said otherwise. I wanted witnesses. There’d been a good chance Karl would become violent once confronted, and I was smart enough to cover my back. I had too many people this could affect not to.

Ben and Max escorted Karl down the elevator and to his car. Jamie followed with his box of belongings. I didn’t trust Karl, so Ben and Max were also in charge of following him for the day. They would be calling me with follow-ups every hour.

I was ready for the end of the day by the time it finally arrived. Karl had attempted to come back once. We knew he was on his way, of course, and he was greeted with two additional security guards and a police officer, who very kindly let him know that if he was seen here again, he would be arrested. Officer Ballis was a friend of my assistant. It hadn’t taken much convincing for him to stop in and put our former CFO in his place.

Last night, I’d told Brianna not to fix anything for dinner because we would be going out. It was the last thing I wanted to do; however, she needed to be among people as much as possible. The interaction, simple as it may be, would be good for her.

She was waiting for me when I got home. Her hair was pinned back on the sides just enough so I could see her ears. She wore a cute black and red dress that came to a stop precisely above her knees. It showed off her tiny waist and gave the slightest hint of her cleavage. I felt both my mind and body wondering on the possibilities.

As I walked toward her, her lips pressed together so tightly that her lower lip completely disappeared. She always did that when she was unsure of herself or nervous.

I stopped in front of her without touching. “Good evening, Brianna. Is there something you wanted to tell me?”

Her eyes opened wide, knowing she’d been pegged. “I was just . . . wondering?”

I gave her a sly smile. “And what were you wondering?” She started to look down. “No,” I said in a firm, but soft voice. “I want you to look at me when you tell me.”

She obeyed, but I could tell she didn’t want to. “Should I be kneeling? I mean, now that I know you like it?”

I couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped as I embraced her. “Oh, Brianna, how I love you,” I whispered into her hair. Pulling back, I looked down into her face. “I do love when you kneel for me, but maybe not every time I come home, hmm? Maybe soon we can discuss some specific times I’d like to have you kneeling for me,” I said suggestively.

My eyes watched her closely, waiting for her reaction. It was subtle, but it was there. The pulse in her neck picked up its pace, as did her breathing. She even tensed for a few seconds before visibly forcing herself to relax again. It was as if her body and mind were arguing. I wanted tonight to be casual and relaxing for her, so I took her to Tony’s again. 

He greeted us at the door with his same excitement. “Stephan! Brianna!” He showed us to a table toward the back and asked us both how we were as he handed us menus.

After ordering two waters, I focused on Brianna. “Tony has a lot of great Italian dishes. I thought we’d try some tonight.”

“Okay,” she nodded and began reading the menu.

Tony’s daughter, Maria, brought us our waters and said she’d be back shortly to take our orders. Brianna glanced up at Maria, but didn’t say anything.

A minute later, I saw her put her menu down. “Have you decided?”

“Yes. I think I’ll try the lasagna.”

“That’s a good choice. Tony makes all his own noodles. I think you’ll like it.”

“I used to like my mom’s,” she whispered.

I reached out and took her hand over the table. “Don’t hesitate to talk to me about your mother. I know she was important to you, and I want to hear about her.” She visibly relaxed.

I noticed Maria making her way to our table. “I want you to order for yourself, Brianna.” I saw her tense once again. “You’ve done it before, and I’m right here with you.”

She made it through ordering much better than she had at her first attempt. Brianna was still fighting her nerves, but she was winning. That was very good.

Dinner was pleasant. I even got her to laugh a little when I told her a story about Lily.

The food was wonderful, but I wouldn’t have expected less. I offered her a bite of my cannelloni. It might not have been the right thing to do, as watching her lips wrap around my fork sent sensations to areas of my body that I was desperately trying to keep repressed.

I wasn’t ready to go home after dinner, so I took a detour to a park a few blocks away. The night was warm, and it wasn’t raining. There wasn’t much more that you could ask of this time of year. It was still light out so there were people walking, kids playing. If it bothered Brianna, she didn’t show it. I held her hand as we walked. There was nothing about this that felt wrong.

She talked a little more about her mom and about her dog, Rusty. It seemed as though she’d had a normal childhood until her mom had gotten sick. I wanted to know more about her father, but she seemed so relaxed by the time we headed back that I didn’t want to bring it up.

It was after nine when we arrived at my condo. I followed her into her room. She walked over to her nightstand, picked up her journal, and handed it to me. I opened it, and flipped through the pages as she went to her dresser to get something for bed.

She’d written more both yesterday and today. After leaving her hanging yesterday, I could feel the tension in her writing. She wanted to get closer, but she was still so scared.

Today’s entry was less emotional, but still filled with her feelings regarding me. Confusion again seemed to be the prevailing one; however, safe, warm, and fearful seemed to be following close behind.

Although I would probably never fully understand what she had gone through, I knew without a doubt that she didn’t want to be that scared little girl anymore. Everything she was telling me, showing me, confirmed that.

I placed the journal back in its place and turned to find her sitting on the bed, the tank top and shorts still sitting folded beside her.

With deliberate steps, I walked to stand in front of her. My hand came up to cup her chin and raised it. There was such a mixture of emotion on her face, just like in her journal. I released her and took a step back. 

“Stand up, Brianna.” She did. “Turn around and face away from me.” Again, she did as instructed.

I stepped closer and took the clips from her hair. The newly released locks tumbled down into their rightful places on her shoulders. I grazed my fingers along the soft skin where the hairs now touched before following the outside of her dress until I reached the zipper. Watching her closely, I made sure I wasn’t going too fast for her. She was doing well, and appeared to be okay.

With a gentle tug, I began slowly lowering the zipper, making sure that the back of my knuckle brushed against her spine all the way down. A narrow V of flesh showed down her back with only a hint of bra halfway down and red panties visible at the bottom. Even with the scars marring her skin, there was no way for my body not to react to that sight.

The tips of my fingers ran up her sides, causing her to shudder a little. I wasn’t sure if it was from excitement, nerves, or if she was just ticklish. I paused for an extra-long moment when I reached the top of her dress before pushing it off her shoulders. Material slid down her body and pooled at her feet, leaving her clad only in her underwear.

I leaned down and placed a soft kiss to the top of each shoulder, and then reached between us to unfasten her bra. With a little assistance the straps fell, giving me the amazing view of the tops of her naked breasts.

My hands went to her waist. Her panties were simple. They were red satin with just a little lace around the edges. My fingers slipped just under the edge of the lace at the top, lingering just enough to tease her.

She was responding very, very well. Not once had she tensed in fear, but I asked anyway. “Are you all right, Brianna?”

“Yes,” she whispered, and it was huskier than normal.

I smiled against her shoulder. “Good.”

Removing my fingers from inside the satin, I began doing the same along the outside of the lace. At first, I stayed at the top, just as I had on the inside. Then I started tracing the outside edges starting in the back.

This time, she tensed. “Shhh, Brianna. It will be good, I promise.” I gave her a minute to register this. “Do you want me to stop?”

She shook her head and squeezed out a no. 

“All right. Just relax. Remember you’re safe with me.”

All through the conversation, my fingers had not stopped brushing over the smooth round flesh of her backside. I kept them there until I felt her relax again. Then, I started to move them with a slightly more deliberate purpose.

I slid my fingers down to the junction of her legs still following the lace. I felt her tense momentarily before willing herself to relax. “Good girl,” I whispered and placed another kiss on her shoulder. “Now spread your legs a little for me.” She complied and I began the plan that had formed in my mind.

Ever so slowly, I began to draw small circles. For the most part, I stayed on the edges with the lace, but every now and then, I would divert from my path and place a circle farther in.

I continued this pattern as I watched her body start to respond. She was taking deeper breaths, and I began to feel the moisture under my fingertips. “Do you like this, Brianna? Does it feel good?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“One day, I will make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before,” I promised as my finger moved forward and I placed a deliberate circle directly over her clit.

She gasped.

I pressed again a little firmer. “Is that something you want, Brianna?”

“Yes.”

Brianna was leaning back against me now. I don’t think she even knew she was doing it. She was totally lost in the sensations I was giving her.

“That’s a good thing. I want you to think about that tonight when you’re in your bed. I want you to think about how my fingers felt on you. And I want you to tell me if tomorrow night you would like for me to do the same thing except without the barrier of your panties,” I whispered in her ear.

With that, I removed my hands and brought them back up to her waist. I pushed her panties down her legs to join her dress and turned her around. Her face was flushed, her chest moving up and down at a more rapid pace than was normal.

I took her face in my hands and gave her a long, slow kiss, enjoying the feel of her lips and tongue. Brianna kissed me back without hesitation. It was amazing to see how far we’d come.

I released her mouth and looked down at our bodies standing together; hers naked, mine completely clothed. She was beautiful, and I told her so. “I do hope you give me the honor of truly worshipping your body one day.” 

She didn’t respond outside of her blush deepening. I wasn’t sure if she would ever truly be able to take a compliment regarding her body, but it was something we were going to work on. Brianna was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, naked or clothed.

I helped her put her bedclothes on and tucked her in, reminding her of what I’d said. Then I headed to my own room.

It was after ten, and I was in desperate need of a shower.

Stripping out of the suit I still wore, I walked into my bathroom and turned on the spray. The water hit my naked body, but it didn’t ease the tension. Only one thing could do that.

I reached for the soap and lathered up my hands before reaching down and taking a firm hold. It was only as I was coming down from my climax that I recalled what I’d said to her earlier in the day when I’d come home. I’d told Brianna I loved her, and she hadn’t even noticed.

Stephan

It was a restless night’s sleep for me. Even though I’d gotten release in the shower before going to bed, my mind had quickly floated back to Brianna and what had happened between us.

    At just after two in the morning, I’d awoken from a fitful sleep thinking only of her. I’d walked next door to her room to check on her. She was beautiful with her hair lying tangled on her pillows. Her legs twisted in her sheets where she’d obviously been tossing and turning. From the looks of it, she was not having a completely peaceful night herself. Of course, I really hadn’t planned for her to.