/His POV/
“Ple-please, sir,” I could her minty breath fan my face, eyes glistening and cheeks red and blotched with tears, a few strands of her sticking to her forehead with sweat. I flattened my hand on the curve of her spine, her gasps getting louder as I moved. She leaned over, nibbling and pressing tiny kisses on my shoulder and began to work her hips My eyes rolled back as I felt the slow drag of her walls clenching against me, feeling a cluster of nerves brush against the head of my cock. “Fucking shit.” I groaned, pulling out of Sara before putting her on her feet. She made a face, until I bent her over the table, pushing my cock back in and holding a hand over her mouth. “You have to be quiet, Sara. This is my office.” Her mewls were muffled by my hand as a loud knock echoed. I stilled. “Sir?” It was one of the engineers from downstairs. I could see his stiletto from the glass door but he could not see what was going in. As much as I loved having a quickie behind my office doors, the last thing I wanted was for the employees to know about it. Sara started moving vigorously at the incessant knocks. “Fuck! Don’t do that.” I glared at her. “Do you want everyone to hear you?” She nodded. I release my hand from her mouth, and take a step back, immediately pulling on the pants. She made a noise, turned over her shoulder and slowly turned to give me a look. “Are you serious?” “This is still working hour, Sara. Go ask him what he wants.” As my assistant, she had no choice but to pull her skirt down and slip into professional mode. I knew it was a bad idea—this arrangement. I was not the kind to involve business and pleasure but Sara was different. She was someone who started working under me ever since I took over my father. She understood and anticipated my needs, and also had no problem keeping it strictly sex. That was the only reason why it worked so well. The clicking sound of her heels pulled my attention back to the door. I hastily buttoned my pants and sat on the chair, making a face at the uncomfortable hard-on. Sara cleared her throat and fanned her face before opening the door and easily putting on a polite smile. “Yes? How can I help you, Matt?” “I was hoping to speak to sir regarding Walter’s project…” I stifled a groan, peeking at the engineer while he tried hard to focus on Sara's face. “Matt today is Wednesday…” Sara took a step close, her hand twisting at the door handle. “He will be leaving in ten minutes I am afraid. Why don’t I schedule a meeting…” With that, she walked out of the door and softly closed it behind her when it hit me. My eyes immediately went towards the clock and I let out a curse under my breath. It’s Wednesday which meant I have to be at my parents for dinner. A sticky note on the table caught my eye as I tried to hastily grab my phone. ‘Dinner with parents at 6’ It read in Sara’s neat cursive writing. This is why I keep her around I thought while rushing to the bathroom. Taking a quick shower I changed my clothes and slipped into another of my suits. Fortunately, Sara always kept spare suits in the cupboard in case I needed to fly somewhere urgently or I messed up the clothes I was wearing. *** As soon as I reached the garage of my parent’s house I was greeted by the guard who hurried to take my keys. Nodding at him, I rushed to take the elevator, hyper-aware that it was already thirty minutes past 6. A sudden chill hit me as I walked along the passage, my eyes adjusting to the bright flickering lights. My lips curved in a smile as I noticed the handmade nameplate displayed next to the elevator. It was my sister’s art project that she could stop not raving about. My dad’s doing. He was so proud of his daughter and the only way to show that was to personally screw the nameplate at the very elevator that took to the main entrance of our house. Classic dad. I thought with a shake of my head. If anything he was very easily proud of my sister but the same never applied to me. Almost four decades ago he set up his small company in the back shed after working a whole day where he started selling mobile phones with two sim slots. The idea took off and he managed to make a lot of money and eventually rented an office space which soon turned into a huge building in the heart of New York. Since then the demand only increased which made it easy to expand in different countries and I successfully took over. Two years since he retired well not fully since he always kept tabs and showed up to the office unannounced. “Edwardo amore! Come! Come in.” I looked up at the familiar raspy voice, aware that I was at the main entrance. My mother was standing in the middle of the living room, rushed by the people around her. She had oven mitts on her hands, the smile lines on her face brighter and more visible under the lights. I looked at her closely, she looked older than the last time I visited her. “Good evening, ma.” “Buonasera” She replied, her arms immediately coming to wrap around my frame but failing. My mother was a tiny woman so I bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. “You're late.” “You are still getting the dishes out though!” I sheepishly said while the maids rushed towards the table. She pulled away, her hips cocked while shaking her head. “That was because I was tired of waiting so I baked something. It’s a surprise.” “It’s a milk cake.” Angelina, my sister yelled from afar when I noticed her on the couch. She was sitting in front of my father with a thick sketchbook in her lap and hair tied in a loose bun. “Angel!” My mother made a sound. “Mom he would have found out anyway. You smell like pistachios.” “Whatever.” “Girls no fighting.” My father chirped from the adjacent seat, his glasses resting on his face as he posed for my sister’s drawing. “Hi, Pa! How are you?” He hummed before letting out a loud exhale at my sister’s attempt to correct his pose. I shook my head at their antics. Ever since he retired Angelina made him her model for her college assignments. “Everything okay at the company?” My father turned over his shoulder and I gave him a tight smile. That’s all that mattered to him. “I heard the meeting with Stuarts did not go well. They are our usual provider we cannot have anything affecting this deal, Edward.” “I know, Pa.” “Do you?” He raised his brow. “Yes! They were not ready to sign the contract at the usual rate so we had to call Adam to negotiate. I am sure he is trying his best.” “Oh, Adam!” My sister let out a glee sound. “How is he?” She shut her book and gave me her full attention. I narrowed my eyes at her sudden interest in this matter. Why did she care about him? Last time I checked he was my legal advisor and college friend, not hers. “He is…” “So it’ll be sorted then?” My father cut me off. "Huh?" I blinked cluelessly and then realised that he was asking about the negotiation. “Yeah, it’s all under control.” My mother clapped her hand loudly, grabbing our attention. “Enough you two. I do not want to hear this business topic for the rest of the night.” “Okay, honey. Whatever you want.” My father sighed. “Good.” My sister snickered. “Edwardo I had to ask you something.” She took me by the arm and rushed me towards the couch. I let myself be deposited on one of the seats, blinking at her. “What is it ma?” “Did you get the invitation?” She asked. I shook my head because I had no idea what she was talking about. “Francesca is getting married in two weeks and your uncle specially asked for you to be there. He said he sent you a special separate invite too.” “Huh?” I blinked at her. Francesca Murray is my dear cousin, my maternal uncle's only daughter. She’s close to my sister’s age and they always used to be attached at hips when they visited us during summers. I was always asked to play dolls with them but somehow escaped at the very last minute and did not come back till it was way past their bedtime. I chuckled at the memory. “Isn’t she too young to get married?” I looked at my sister. They had a falling out a couple of years ago and took them a long time to be civil and in the same room as each other. My sister shrugged. “When is the wedding?” I asked “27th of this month and it’s in his beach house.” “So close to Christmas?” “That’s what I said! But you know your uncle he does whatever he wants.” I hummed, still mulling over the fact that I did not see the invite he supposedly sent over. “I didn’t get the invite. Sara must have forgotten to hand it over to me.” My mother rolled her eyes. “You should fire her.” “Mom!” I sighed. For some odd reason, my mother never liked her and she made it very clear. I have never seen her respond to Sara even though my assistant tries very hard to interact. Then again she refuses to admit she has a problem with Sara. “Anyways when are you driving us?” “Driving us? What? There’s still two weeks to the wedding I have to check my schedule and…” “No Edward, listen. You do not understand we have to be there two weeks in advance to help them out. This is very important to your uncle.” “Two weeks? You are joking, right?”I paused, holding my breath, waiting for my mother to burst out laughing. It never came. “Yes, two weeks.” My father cleared his throat. “He called multiple times and it would be rude to not go.” “Pa, I understand but two weeks is a lot. I am not going. There are several meetings…” “Cancel them. Adam can take over in the meantime and make sure everything is going well.” “Adam is a legal advisor.” I gritted my teeth. “Edwardo, when was the last time you took a few days off? You need to relax. We have not seen your uncle and his family for a while now. It will be a nice break for all of us.” “Yes I agree we need to see them but for not two weeks straight. I am not going to stay in North Carolina.” I shivered at the thought of staying at their beach house for two weeks straight. “Stop that. You are going, Edwardo. End of discussion.” My father said and stood up. “Now let’s go have dinner.” My shoulders sagged as I watched my father walk away, slumping in my seat knowing I had no choice but to take two weeks off. ***/Her POV/ At the icy needles of water, the sting chased away the tiredness of the journey. Closing my eyes, I stepped deeper into the spray, willing the nausea to circle the drain at my feet. It has been a long day. I moaned as I leaned more into the shower while trying not to think of the attractive man from earlier. My body automatically pushed forward, palms flat against the cool tile and absorbed the chill of the water. I lathered, quickly washing away the sticky sweat and shook my head. Within minutes I was heading out to the bedroom, where I pulled on a pair of tight gym shorts and a loose shirt. Rushing to the gym on the top floor, I'd planned on warming up on a treadmill, then capping off the hour with a few of the machines but my plan took a turn. My muscles quivered with the perfect amount of fatigue and I knew I'd sleep hard when I crashed later. "That was impressive!" I wiped the sweat off my face with a towel and looked at the man who spoke to me. Lanky an
As a single-worded question echoed around us, I was filled with the glaring reality of the situation. A sheepish smile curled on my lips, eyes dimming as I was stuck in his arms. That's not how I wanted his mother to find us. Or anyone. Edward was still standing the same way, wearing the same deadpan look on his face from earlier. Did it not bother him? I wondered while sneaking another look at him. His mother stayed rooted on the spot, her eyes shifting between the two of us before finally landing on me. "Arianna, sì?" She asked, her thick Italian accent cutting the tension. Flustered, I shook my head, cringing at the full name. No one called me that unless my mother if she was in a bad mood. I hated the full use of my name felt like a task. "Yes...err" I clicked my tongue, pausing for a second to think if I should correct her but then went ahead. "I prefer Aria." She bobbed her head, "Aria." The name easily rolled off her tongue except for the r sound. "Are you hur
/His POV/ I tugged at the roots of my hair, angrily slamming the phone on the bed. The sound of the notification was causing a throbbing pain in my temples. Sara—my assistant couldn't stop texting me mundane details for some reason. It started small, her glossing over the day-to-day meetings that I might have to do over Zoom. The minutes that we had to go over from previous ones. As long as it went—she started getting personal. Inquiring about my family and how I spent my time. She also suggested to come over to make things easy. I could see the signs, the signs that she was getting attached quickly. The very first time we had sex I had made it clear to her that it’s just that. Lately, it seemed as if she was getting a different idea in her head. “Edward?” At the knock on the door, I was startled, head snapping towards the direction of the sound. “Dad.” “Care to join us?” My father questioned while standing at the edge of the door. “Sure. Where are we going?” I
The pain in my ankle had subsided as I woke up the next day, the bandage Edward had wrapped lying neatly on the bedside table. At the memory of the moment, my lips twitched. He was something else. The mere mention of him bought made my belly flutter. Was that normal? A startled knock on the door brought me back to reality. I blinked only to see Francesca walk into my room, my body sagging in relief. I have been trying to get her alone so that we can talk but it seemed almost impossible. “Ahh! Finally!” I rushed her in, shutting the door behind me and tugging her to bed. My friend let out a squeal, resting her back against the headboard, appearing bewildered. “Are you okay?” “Am I okay?” I blinked at her, echoing her tone. “Are you? What do you mean you are getting married in two weeks Fran? This is crazy.” She let out a sigh. “Aria…I don’t…I am happy.” “Huh?” For the first time in forever, I saw a shy smile on her lips. “Roman…He treats me well. Please do not worry
The thought of spending five hours with Edward brought a fuzzy feeling back in my stomach. As if hearing the wheels turn in my head, I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around only to see it was the older man. "If you don't mind can I suggest something?" He adjusted his glasses. Before I could say something Edward hummed, raising his brow in the direction of the man. "There is a Christmas market an hour from here. Lots of things for the lovely couple to do." My eyes lit up at the thought of visiting a Christmas market. I had a lot of memories attached to visiting such markets during my childhood. I tilted my head to look at Edward. "Ah thank you so much for your suggestion. Can I get the address?"Edward questioned, pocketing his hands inside the pants. "Yes! Certainly. Hold on a moment." He said the cheer in his tone made me smile. The man disappeared behind the door and came back with a small card in his hand. "Here. This is the card for my friend's shop.
As the warmth of his body surrounded me, I sank in further, eyes fluttering shut. For a minute straight, nothing mattered anymore as his arms came loosely to wrap around me. My breath hitched in my throat as I realised what I was doing. I was momentarily stunned, not aware of the surroundings. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I realised people were staring at both of us. Awkwardly I stepped back, semi-aware of his heavy stare at me. He cleared his throat, tugging at his hair when he noticed that I stepped away. I could feel my cheeks redden as he came to stand next to me. A static-like tension settled between both of us and it could be cut through the knife. “Congratulations!” The stall owner cleared his throat, begrudgingly pulling the teddy bear. “Here is your prize.” With a proud smile on his face, Edward accepted it, ducking his head and looking away. “No twice chance now. Shoo!” The owner grumbled, retrieving the rings from the floor. I hid my giggle be
My whole face felt like it was on fire. Taking a step back, I bumped against the car door, letting the cool surface envelop my back. I sagged against the door, watching as Edward tried to collect himself before answering his phone. "It's Armund." He mouthed while sliding the green icon and pressing the phone against his ear. I watched as he started using his hand animatedly talking over the call. I couldn't hear him anymore as he had put some distance between us, the car parked towards the edge of the road anyway. I tried to focus on my breathing, aware of the way my cheeks were hurting and I couldn't think about anything but the kiss. How could I let him kiss me like that? The worst part of all was I enjoyed it. Oh god. I pressed my palms against my face, smushing my cheeks. It was going to be awkward as we had to drive back home in the same car. My lips still tingled from his touch, and I lightly traced them, rolling my eyes as I remembered the way he aggressively grippe
There was a throbbing in my temples at Edward's childish behaviour. He refused to budge from my way, arms crossed. It's as if he knew how to push my buttons. I stood there thoroughly annoyed with the way my nerves frayed. It's like the attraction had been brewing in that stupid bottle, and now that he stood in front, the cap has blown off a shaken fizzy bottle and flying around the room. We stood in silence, Edward not tearing his gaze away from me. I tried to recall every social interaction we ever had so I could get a clue on what to do next. "Aria!" A voice yelled, startling Edward visibly. I winced and looked behind him, only to see Damion approach us with a wide grin stretched across his lips. The colour drained on Edward's face only for it to be replaced by an annoyance radiating off him. His lips were pressed in a thin line, grudgingly moving aside. "Damion? Hey..." I let out a sigh of relief, the grip on my tote loosening and my hands falling by my side. He barel
Edward did not give up easily. He was not the kind of guy to give up control. I realised that as the server came with our plates. It started slow, his toe tracing against the sensitive flesh of my calf. The action caused me to instinctively jerk against the contact. I stilled as if not moving a muscle would make me invisible, hoping beyond hope that Edward didn't notice. But if the way I was rigid, he most certainly has. I was aware I had to say something. Anything will do to break the tension, but then Edward raised his head, eyes wide and blinking innocently. A low curse slipped from my mouth unbidden, and my body's response was inevitable. With only two thin layers of fabric between us, heat pooled low in my belly as I felt myself jolt at the touch. His lips parted as if he could read the thought going in my head, and my heart stopped. "Are you all right, cara?" His voice came out raspier than usual. He's still peering staring as if I can even pretend to concentrate when h
Everything was setting me off it seemed. It all started as the dance practice for Fran's wedding progressed I was building up to a dangerous level. I could not stand the friction of my breasts rubbing up against the thin fabric of my shirt, feeling as if I was embarrassingly close to losing my grip and going into a heat mid-practice. That could not happen, however, but as I watched Edward, the way the lighting fell upon every groove of the muscles in his arms, all I could think about was being shoved up against the wall with the strength, held up fully of the ground. Lost in the thought I nearly missed my cue, and the rest of the practice just became far more unbearable after that. My skin was sensitive, and of course, Edward knew exactly how to take me apart, brushing his fingers innocently along my arms, down my back. Seemingly innocent gestures, but he knew what the fuck he was doing, and it was driving me wild. It was unfair because I wanted to focus on making sure nothin
There was a throbbing in my temples at Edward's childish behaviour. He refused to budge from my way, arms crossed. It's as if he knew how to push my buttons. I stood there thoroughly annoyed with the way my nerves frayed. It's like the attraction had been brewing in that stupid bottle, and now that he stood in front, the cap has blown off a shaken fizzy bottle and flying around the room. We stood in silence, Edward not tearing his gaze away from me. I tried to recall every social interaction we ever had so I could get a clue on what to do next. "Aria!" A voice yelled, startling Edward visibly. I winced and looked behind him, only to see Damion approach us with a wide grin stretched across his lips. The colour drained on Edward's face only for it to be replaced by an annoyance radiating off him. His lips were pressed in a thin line, grudgingly moving aside. "Damion? Hey..." I let out a sigh of relief, the grip on my tote loosening and my hands falling by my side. He barel
My whole face felt like it was on fire. Taking a step back, I bumped against the car door, letting the cool surface envelop my back. I sagged against the door, watching as Edward tried to collect himself before answering his phone. "It's Armund." He mouthed while sliding the green icon and pressing the phone against his ear. I watched as he started using his hand animatedly talking over the call. I couldn't hear him anymore as he had put some distance between us, the car parked towards the edge of the road anyway. I tried to focus on my breathing, aware of the way my cheeks were hurting and I couldn't think about anything but the kiss. How could I let him kiss me like that? The worst part of all was I enjoyed it. Oh god. I pressed my palms against my face, smushing my cheeks. It was going to be awkward as we had to drive back home in the same car. My lips still tingled from his touch, and I lightly traced them, rolling my eyes as I remembered the way he aggressively grippe
As the warmth of his body surrounded me, I sank in further, eyes fluttering shut. For a minute straight, nothing mattered anymore as his arms came loosely to wrap around me. My breath hitched in my throat as I realised what I was doing. I was momentarily stunned, not aware of the surroundings. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I realised people were staring at both of us. Awkwardly I stepped back, semi-aware of his heavy stare at me. He cleared his throat, tugging at his hair when he noticed that I stepped away. I could feel my cheeks redden as he came to stand next to me. A static-like tension settled between both of us and it could be cut through the knife. “Congratulations!” The stall owner cleared his throat, begrudgingly pulling the teddy bear. “Here is your prize.” With a proud smile on his face, Edward accepted it, ducking his head and looking away. “No twice chance now. Shoo!” The owner grumbled, retrieving the rings from the floor. I hid my giggle be
The thought of spending five hours with Edward brought a fuzzy feeling back in my stomach. As if hearing the wheels turn in my head, I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around only to see it was the older man. "If you don't mind can I suggest something?" He adjusted his glasses. Before I could say something Edward hummed, raising his brow in the direction of the man. "There is a Christmas market an hour from here. Lots of things for the lovely couple to do." My eyes lit up at the thought of visiting a Christmas market. I had a lot of memories attached to visiting such markets during my childhood. I tilted my head to look at Edward. "Ah thank you so much for your suggestion. Can I get the address?"Edward questioned, pocketing his hands inside the pants. "Yes! Certainly. Hold on a moment." He said the cheer in his tone made me smile. The man disappeared behind the door and came back with a small card in his hand. "Here. This is the card for my friend's shop.
The pain in my ankle had subsided as I woke up the next day, the bandage Edward had wrapped lying neatly on the bedside table. At the memory of the moment, my lips twitched. He was something else. The mere mention of him bought made my belly flutter. Was that normal? A startled knock on the door brought me back to reality. I blinked only to see Francesca walk into my room, my body sagging in relief. I have been trying to get her alone so that we can talk but it seemed almost impossible. “Ahh! Finally!” I rushed her in, shutting the door behind me and tugging her to bed. My friend let out a squeal, resting her back against the headboard, appearing bewildered. “Are you okay?” “Am I okay?” I blinked at her, echoing her tone. “Are you? What do you mean you are getting married in two weeks Fran? This is crazy.” She let out a sigh. “Aria…I don’t…I am happy.” “Huh?” For the first time in forever, I saw a shy smile on her lips. “Roman…He treats me well. Please do not worry
/His POV/ I tugged at the roots of my hair, angrily slamming the phone on the bed. The sound of the notification was causing a throbbing pain in my temples. Sara—my assistant couldn't stop texting me mundane details for some reason. It started small, her glossing over the day-to-day meetings that I might have to do over Zoom. The minutes that we had to go over from previous ones. As long as it went—she started getting personal. Inquiring about my family and how I spent my time. She also suggested to come over to make things easy. I could see the signs, the signs that she was getting attached quickly. The very first time we had sex I had made it clear to her that it’s just that. Lately, it seemed as if she was getting a different idea in her head. “Edward?” At the knock on the door, I was startled, head snapping towards the direction of the sound. “Dad.” “Care to join us?” My father questioned while standing at the edge of the door. “Sure. Where are we going?” I
As a single-worded question echoed around us, I was filled with the glaring reality of the situation. A sheepish smile curled on my lips, eyes dimming as I was stuck in his arms. That's not how I wanted his mother to find us. Or anyone. Edward was still standing the same way, wearing the same deadpan look on his face from earlier. Did it not bother him? I wondered while sneaking another look at him. His mother stayed rooted on the spot, her eyes shifting between the two of us before finally landing on me. "Arianna, sì?" She asked, her thick Italian accent cutting the tension. Flustered, I shook my head, cringing at the full name. No one called me that unless my mother if she was in a bad mood. I hated the full use of my name felt like a task. "Yes...err" I clicked my tongue, pausing for a second to think if I should correct her but then went ahead. "I prefer Aria." She bobbed her head, "Aria." The name easily rolled off her tongue except for the r sound. "Are you hur