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A Good Idea
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Asking for a Friend Find Your Passion
MARISSA“Mommy, why are you cutting it like that?” Annie leaned over our dining room table where I was working on a dress. She stretched the red material between her little fingers, stroking it while she watched me work.I finished slicing through the fabric that was later going to form part of the skirt and set it aside, talking to Annie as I rotated the remaining material on the table. “If I cut it like this and add a few more panels, the skirt will flare.”Annie nodded dutifully, as if she were taking a class in dressmaking. I pushed my tool box containing buttons and sequins and other shiny things at her. “Why don’t you sift through those and take out a few options for us to decorate the bodice with?”Eyes lighting up with excitement, she started taking out the different plastic levels in the box and spread them out in front of her. “I love doing this stuff with you, Mommy.”“What stuff?” I asked, pausing for a moment to take in the contented expression on her gorgeous face as she
Asking for a Friend Worth the Risk
MARISSA“Drawing it is, then.” I thought of Layton and how much of a perfectionist he was with his designs, as opposed to my own, which were downright sloppy in comparison.Fair enough, mine had to be altered as the dress was altered. Since the dress was altered to suit the body shape of the person that had to fit into it at the time they had to fit into it, my designs also didn’t have to be as exact as Layton’s from the get go.If Annie was interested in drawing, perhaps I could borrow some of Layton’s discarded sketches to bring home. Just to show her another style. I watched her admiring the dress, asking, “What would you like to draw?”She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought. “Anything. I just like drawing and if we’re all choosing something we loved for the day Brie comes over, I’m choosing drawing.”“It’s an excellent choice, kiddo.” I had to remember to ask Layton about some discarded or old drawings. Encouraging Annie’s passions, as fleeting as they might turn out to be
Asking for a Friend No Shenanigans
LAYTON“I would like to remind everyone that the human resources department will be on the lookout for any—” I checked the printout my assistant had given me with HR’s requests about the Valentine’s Day party. “Uh, shenanigans. No shenanigans will be tolerated, even if it is a party.”I frowned at the paper in my hand, shaking my head slightly even as a chuckle escaped. Glancing up, I found myself looking right into the disapproving glare of my head of human resources. The man jabbed a stubby finger at the paper, prompting me to read the rules out loud and take them seriously.Laughter and chuckles tittered around the office as I finished the announcement. I couldn’t blame them for their amusement, since I was having a hard time keeping a straight face myself.O’Donnell, the head of HR, was the only person who would send me a list prohibiting shenanigans and expect people to take it as a decree. It was a party for crying in a fucking bucket. Fully aware of the dangers of a workplace r
Asking for a Friend Challenge Me
LAYTON“They were,” she agreed, which surprised me until she said, “They were invented to make me feel nauseous. I can’t stand the things. Everything just hanging there waiting. Nothing where you need it to be.”“Nothing where you—” I trailed off. “Did no one ever teach you how to use a filing cabinet? Everything in it is exactly where you need it to be. It hangs so as to ensure it doesn’t just lie around in an indecipherable mess.”I gestured around her office, because it was the very picture of an indecipherable mess. Marissa shook her head, arching a brow. “You don’t believe that I know where everything is.”Allowing my head to hang forward in what I was sure would soon be shame, I just had to challenge her assertion. Even if I was about fifty percent certain she was about to prove me wrong. “I’m sorry, but no. I just don’t see how anything about your filing system can be in any way, shape or means systematic.”“It is,” she said, confidently. Placing her elbows on her desk, she for
Asking for a Friend Let's Skip
MARISSALayton surprised me when he came to my office after making the announcement about the party. He hardly ever ventured over to my side of the building. My heart rate kicked up a notch when I saw him approaching, looking dapper as ever in another one of his impeccably tailored suits.Even if they were the only thing I’d ever seen him wear, they never got old. He looked too damn good in them. And since I’d copped a feel at what lay underneath the expensive layers of material, it was hard to look at him and not imagine what he might look like without the corporate suit of armor.A powder blue shirt brought out lighter flecks in his green eyes, especially since the tie he was wearing matched his eyes but had an intricate paisley design in the exact color of the shirt. I briefly wondered whether it had been made especially for him to wear with that shirt and if it was, whether the person who made it had chosen the green of the tie based on the color of his eyes.I nearly swooned over
Asking for a Friend Open to the Possibility
MARISSA“What do you say to finally getting around to some much overdue sightseeing, then?” As he asked, the tiniest, barest hint of nerves had crept into his voice.It was clear he wasn’t used to having to convince women to go out with him. While I totally understood why others might have said yes right away, I didn’t have that luxury.The first time he asked me out, the only reason I said yes so fast was because Denise was right next to me. Before I could agree to any nighttime activities, I had to check with her about her schedule. And since it was Valentine’s freaking day we were talking about here, I couldn’t just assume Denise had nothing planned.I had to talk to her about it before I could commit. “I’ll have to see about some things.”“What do you have to see about? Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise. Fun and educational. It’s a double whammy. How can you say no to that?”I couldn’t, but unfortunately I also couldn’t say yes. “It shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ll need to get back
Asking for a Friend Valentine's Day Party
LAYTON“Happy Valentine’s Day everyone,” I announced from my spot at the front of the room. The atmosphere was electric, with the excited faces of my staff smiling at me. “Thank you for being here. I hope you enjoy the party. The social committee has outdone itself this year, let’s give them a hand.”A round of applause sounded and the two self-appointed members of our social committee flushed happily. Both women worked on the design team, but they consulted on interior decorating from time to time.It showed whenever they were tasked with transforming the office into a jollier space. This year they had opted for a less garish theme than big red hearts. Fairy lights twinkled overhead, attached to the light fittings and walls.There were white flowers on every surface. I briefly wondered what their allocated budget had been, but then I let it go. My people worked hard. We didn’t have parties very often. When we did, it made sense to spoil them a little.There was an open bar set up alo
Asking for a Friend Nightcap
LAYTON“Let’s do it,” she agreed, falling into step beside me as we made our way out of the office.The Freedom Trail was an iconic two and a half mile walking tour that featured sixteen nationally significant historic sites. Traditionally, the tours took place during the day.On days like Valentine’s Day though, they offered tours starting later and ended with a historic pub crawl. Marissa and I talked about the trail on the way to the starting point. I would’ve liked to have surprised her with the pub crawl at the end, but I figured this way she knew I wasn’t just taking her on a long, snowy walk for our date.“We have a tour guide who will be dressed in an eighteenth century costume. They’ll take us to a couple of sites before we visit four pubs on Blackstone Block. According to the website, that was where the Revolution was brewed and where the players got their courage and inspiration.”Marissa laughed, a sound that was like music to my ears. “Figures no one would’ve been able to
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Asking for a Friend Epilogue Part 2
LAYTONIt was still early, the sun wasn’t even fully risen yet. Annie and I had both snuck out of bed early this morning to make this breakfast. Marissa was fast asleep, lying on her side on the bed.Annie set down the tray and the glass and shook Marissa’s shoulders. “Mommy! Wake up Mommy! We have a surprise for you.”Marissa’s eyes blinked open slowly, confusion clouding them until she rubbed it away as she sat up and took in the scene in front of her. “What’s all this?”“We’re celebrating,” I told her. “I spoke to Craig earlier. They’re on their way to the site for the final clean up. The building’s finally done.”Her lips curled into a sleepy smile. “I can’t believe that it’s over. It’s really all done?”“It’s really all done,” I confirmed, picking up the tray and placing her plate on it on her lap. “Eat up, we’ve got a lot of celebrating ahead of us today.”“Shouldn’t I be the one feeding you breakfast in bed for this?” She asked, frowning slightly. Lifting up the duvet, she patt
Asking for a Friend Epilogue Part 1
LAYTONIn the past two months since Annie’s first ballet recital, there had been three more. Which were four more recitals than I ever thought I would attend. Or actually enjoy.But I did enjoy them. I enjoyed them so much I was even starting to consider myself something of an expert in ballet. I knew was arabesque meant, what pas de deux was, and that attitude referred to a position in classical ballet, and not a little girl shaking her finger in your face.I watched Annie practicing every night, since I had now officially moved in with them. So officially that there was a tenant renting my place and everything. Marissa didn’t know it yet, but I had been looking at houses for us online for the last couple of weeks.Most of my furniture was now in storage since our house wasn’t big enough for all my furniture and all of Marissa’s. I didn’t love the thought of my stuff gathering dust in a storage unit and I wanted us to have a place that was truly ours, not mine or hers.I had to wait
Asking for a Friend Tiny Dancer
MARISSALayton also threw himself deeper into his commitment to our family. He started driving Annie to school sometimes or offering to pick her up. He took her fishing a few more times and taught her how to play catch.Our lives together was everything I was ever too afraid to hope for. Watching him watch her recital now, tears burned the backs of my eyes.His eyes still hadn’t left the stage for so much as second and I could see the pride he was feeling, I felt it too. He was so much better of a father to Annie than Brice ever could have been. And he stepped into that role gracefully and seriously.I wondered if he would bolt when he eventually realized she was starting to look at him as her dad, but he’d done the complete opposite. On the contrary, he freaking loved being her ‘dad.’The final notes of the recital ended, the girls all dipping into low bows as the hall exploded in applause. Parents leaped to their feet and Layton and I joined them.“She was fantastic,” he yelled into
Asking for a Friend Sixth Months of Heaven
MARISSALayton’s eyes were glued to Annie on stage. Watching him now, it was hard to remember a time when I doubted his love or his commitment to her. Or to me, for that matter.The past six months had been perfect. A fairy tale I never believed was in the cards for me. But somewhere, somehow, someone sent Layton to me and let me keep him.After I finally told him I loved him, there was no turning back. And neither of us wanted to. We came clean to Annie about our relationship that same week and she was thrilled.She hugged both of us and refused to let us go. That next week Layton stayed over for the first time that Annie knew of. She was so excited when she saw him arriving with an overnight bag that she zoomed and bounced around all night before finally crashing hard. When she fell asleep, it was on the couch between us.Layton had insisted on being the one to carry her to her bedroom and when he came back to the living room, he had this expression of absolute serenity on his face.
Asking for a Friend Living the Dream
LAYTON“I was just thinking about something that happened with Annie a few weeks ago,” I told him, shaking the memories out of my head. As the site came back into focus, I noticed how much progress there had been in the week since I was last here. “It’s looking good, Craig. You guys are really outdoing yourself on this one.”“We’re doing our best,” he said, shrugging. “I encouraged you to do this by yourself without that other asshole involved. Least I can do is to have your back now that you’re actually doing it.”“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” I still couldn’t believe some days that this building really was all mine. I tried not to think about it too much, since there was still a lot that could go wrong. I didn’t want to tempt fate by thinking about how well it was going. “Has the flooring been delivered yet?”“Right on time,” Craig said. “They delivered on Friday morning as promised.”I breathed out a sigh of relief. The people who manufactured the flooring called two weeks ago to
Asking for a Friend We're a Family
LAYTONSix months after Marissa first told me she loved me, I walked onto the construction site where the museum was just about done. The scaffolding was coming off today and the team was moving inside. We had two months left to go, tops.The past six months had been the best months of my life. By a long shot. The museum was progressing without any major hold-ups, which was more of a relief than I cared to admit out loud.Marissa, Annie and I were doing better than ever. In the last few weeks, we’d started talking about moving in together, and I was sure it was going to happen soon.I knew it was going to be an adjustment to live together, especially for Annie and me, but it was what I wanted more than anything. I wanted to wake up next to Marissa every morning, to have breakfast with her and Annie before we headed to work.I wanted to be there to tuck Annie in at night and to spend lazy weekends with them. Only a year ago, if anyone had told me I would ever want that kind of life, I
Asking for a Friend Tasting Him
MARISSAStars exploded behind my eyelids. The intensity of the orgasm building inside me was astonishing. My body was going to be blown to dust when it hit, but I couldn’t freaking wait for that glorious release. I gripped the sheets harder, trying to anchor myself against the powerful sensations ripping through me.My hands flew to his hair next, tugging it as I held him to me. Knowing my body better than I did, he knew exactly what I needed. Bringing his lips to my clit, he sucked the little bud in between them and flicked it with his mouth.That perfect pressure sent my body skyrocketing. I stifled a cry, relieved somewhere in the back of my mind I had the pillow handy and crushed it over my face. Sensation crashed into me as I came, overwhelming me with a pleasure I would never get used to.Floating in a bubble of ecstatic bliss, my body went limp. When I opened my eyes, Layton was there wearing a satisfied smile.But it was too tight, too strained. His muscles were tense and his
Asking for a Friend Raw
MARISSALayton’s lips on mine were the best thing that I’d ever felt and I never wanted him to stop. I writhed against him, feeling him hard as steel against my center as he continued to kiss the crap out of me. He dipped his head lower and licked a path to my breasts, his hands on the hem of my shirt.There was something we had to do, somewhere we had to go. But I’d lost track of my train of thought. Warm hands came up to cup my breasts over my pajama top, his thumbs dragging over my puckered nipples. A shiver ran through me. I was so damn wet. I wanted him so bad.“Cold?” Layton asked huskily.I shook my head, closing my eyes for a second as I tried to find words. And figure out that gnawing feeling that we had to move. “No, just—”Layton gave me a sexy, knowing smile. “Me too. Let’s take this to your bedroom, shall we? We definitely shouldn’t let Annie find us like this.”Fuck.Annie.Of course, that was why we had to move. I nodded at Layton. “Let’s go.”His hands dropped to cup
Asking for a Friend Prove It To Her
LAYTONHolding the NDA out to her, she took it and her eyes dropped immediately to the signature line. Which was blank. “I didn’t sign it. I told him to tell Banks where he could shove his insane requests.”Marissa blinked, a huge smile spreading on her face. “Annie’s sleeping, but would you like to come inside?”I nodded, pulling her into my arms as the door closed behind me. Marissa lifted herself up on her toes and kissed me, her fingers winding into the hair around the nape of my neck. When we broke apart, she kept her hands where they were and spoke with her lips inches away from mine. “I love you, Layton. I love you so much.”My heart hammered louder and harder than it ever had before. It was trying to beat its way out of my chest to climb into hers. That was what it felt like, anyway. It already belonged to her, it might as well have done it.I blinked at her, taken aback by hearing the words I wasn’t sure I would ever hear from her. “Could you repeat that?”She smiled. “As man
