Just a Number(110)

A sly smile slowly spreads across Liz’s face. It always means trouble when she looks at me like that. The last time she got that wicked gleam in her eye, I was picking her up from jail for having sex in a public place with her last boyfriend.

“Perfect.”

I raise my eyebrows. “For…?”

Without saying a word, Liz stands up and grabs my hand. “Come on. We’re going to stop by the mall and then you’re going to go surprise your boyfriend at work.”

Yup. I was right a moment ago; it always means trouble when she looks at me like that.



“Liz, I’m not sure about this,” I say, standing out on the sidewalk in front of Owen’s office building in a stylish knee-length jacket I’d just picked up at the mall…along with a few other things. The body of it is made of light gray wool while the sleeves are black leather. It buttons up the front and has a leather belt that ties around the waist and leather accents on the pockets. It’s a beautiful coat, and I justified the cost because I plan to wear it often.

The wind picks up, toying with the hem of the jacket and worrying me. When the threat of it exposing what little Liz suggested I wear underneath wanes, I shiver as the chill travels up my thigh.

“Trust me. He’ll love it. Now, get your sexy ass in there and get some!” Liz turns me around and smacks my ass, drawing the attention of several strangers.

Even though I’ve always considered myself pretty outgoing sexually, this is new territory for me. And if it’s new territory for me, I can almost guarantee it will be new territory for Owen. This both excites and terrifies me.

“I’d say thanks, but I’m not sure you deserve it yet,” I quip, opening the door.

“Oh, you’ll thank me, all right.” She sounds confident, and I just shake my head and laugh.

My heart pounds rapidly and my palms sweat as I stand in the elevator. Part of me wishes it would hurry up and get to Owen’s floor, but the other part of me is thankful for every stop it makes along the way. When I finally arrive at my destination, I take a deep, albeit shaky, breath and step off the elevator. It looks busy, and I suddenly second guess this plan.

Before I can turn around, however, Elliot spots me.

“Hey!” he says, rushing over to me with a goofy grin on his face.

Even though my jacket is secured pretty snug around me, I adjust the collar so as not to give anyone an uninvited peek of the little number I just picked up from Victoria’s Secret. “Elliot, hey. It, uh… It looks busy around here. Is this a bad time for a visit?”

He only grins. Something tells me he knows exactly why I’m here, but then I decide I’m just being paranoid. “He’s in his office going over paperwork. I’m sure he’d welcome the distraction.”

“Great. Thanks.”

I walk past him, wave to Owen’s assistant before holding a finger to my lips to tell her I’m here to surprise him, and then push open his door. His blinds are already drawn for privacy, which bodes well for not drawing any attention to what I’m hoping will happen here.

He’s on the phone and his back is to me, so I slip in and close the door behind me quietly. “I don’t care if he thinks it’s unfair. It was stated in the contract, and if he doesn’t like it, then he has to pay the damn fee like everyone else.” There’s a pause as he turns around. He looks angry, but when he sees me, his expression softens and his mouth spreads into a smile. “Relay my message and tell him I’ll be in contact with him.”

After hanging up the phone, he steps out from behind his desk and approaches me. “I thought we were meeting at my place tonight?” he asks.

His hands ensnare my waist and he leans down to kiss me softly. “Yeah, but then I decided to come and surprise you.”

“Office visits two days in a row,” he muses, bending down and nuzzling my neck. “People are going to start talking.”

My fingers thread into his hair as his lips make contact over and over again with my neck. Every kiss sends a ripple of desire through my body, my skin tingling and my legs shaking.

“You feel tense,” I whisper, pulling my head back and forcing his eyes to mine.

“Today has been one shitstorm after another. I was hoping for an easy day in lieu of Alan’s visit tonight,” he confesses. Then he smiles. “But this…this is a very welcome surprise.”

I bite the outer edge of my bottom lip and smile. “Is it?”

His eyes stray from mine briefly, moving down to my chest, eyebrows furrowing. He lifts a hand, using his index finger to tug the lapel away from my skin a little. “New jacket?” he asks. I nod. His finger slides down the cut of the lapel, the tip brushing the skin of my breast and inviting a fresh wave of lust to envelop me. He pops the first button, giving himself a glimpse of the black and red, lacy bra I’m wearing. “Amelia?”