Assets (8 page)

Stretching like a cat, I felt limber possibly from a great round of sex. Kalen hadn’t ended the night with just his amazing oral skills. He’d awakened me to sheath his length inside me like it always belonged there.

My eyes had opened with the tingling sensations of pleasure and closed on a moan through another amazing orgasm. This man was quickly making a mark on my mind and closing in on trying to make his way into my heart.

My smile in remembrance vanished into a frown when I shot up in bed. Matt. Kalen.

Looking around, I noticed two things. Neither was with me. Had Matt come home and found Kalen in his bed? No, not his bed, Matt didn’t live here. Still it didn’t stop the fact that this home was as much his as it was Lizzy’s. On top of that, Matt had confessed his feelings for me. It would be inconsiderate to have Kalen naked in bed after all he had revealed to me. No, I hadn’t invited Kalen, but I hadn’t asked him to leave either.

Suddenly, another thought hit me. What if Matt had come home and Kalen got the wrong idea and left. Sweeping the room with my eyes, I didn’t see any evidence that Kalen had left a note. When my phone buzzed on the nightstand, I snatched it up and used my free hand to push back my unruly hair so I could see the display. Text from Unknown. Could it be Kalen?

Clicking the envelope icon, it read
I left you a note on your computer
.

Looking at my messenger bag on the floor next to my desk, it didn’t appear as though it had been touched. And how could he have gotten through the security passwords on my work-issued computer anyway?

My eyes drifted to my desk where my personal MacBook was open just where I left it. I moved like a gazelle from incoming predators. I only had to tap a key to bring my computer to life. I’d disabled the security feature, so I had no password. Maybe I should rethink that. When the screen lit up, a Word document was open.

Lass,

It pains me to leave the warmth of your beautiful body. I’m sorry for it. I have an early morning meeting I must attend. I would have written you a note, but I didn’t see paper. Not wanting to wake you, I opted to leave you a note here.

Know that you consume my every thought. Tell me you’ll see me tonight. I think you’ve spoiled me. I’ve never woken up with a woman in my arms. At least not one I wanted to anyway. And I can’t imagine waking up any other way.

Plan on having dinner with me Friday night?

I’ll be in meetings all day. But text me when you get this message. Here is my number.

Kalen

So that’s how he spelled it, with a K not a C. I’d wondered about that. Programming his number in my phone, I texted him. Something about last night had freed me. If I was going to fuck this man, I wouldn’t be ashamed of it.

ME:
Cold and Lonely, I guess I’ll have to take a hot shower and think of you while I clean off the scent from our night together
.

About to put my phone down, I stopped when it emitted a sound that let me know I had an incoming text.

HIM:
I’m in a meeting and you’ve made me hard as stone. I’ll be “hard” pressed to get up and shake hands with my business partners when this meeting is over in a few minutes.

Giggling, I decided to tease him some more.

ME:
I’ll be thinking about that when I hook the garters to the thigh highs I’m wearing under my skirt to work.

I waited a beat for his response and was about to give up when it came through.

HIM:
See what you’ve done to me.
  Then there was a picture attached. It was of his lap with a serious tent in his pants. My god the man was blessed. Looking at it, I wondered just how he’d gotten that whole thing inside me.

ME:
My, My, My, Mr. Brinner. Seems like you have quiet the problem. Well, I’m ‘headed’ to the shower with that picture in my mind as I take care of my own ‘problem’. Bye.

Quickly, I set the phone down and indeed went to take a shower. I’d be late if I kept sexting Kalen. And honestly, who was this girl I’d become? I’d talked about Lizzy and other girls when they sexted their boyfriends. And here I was doing the same. I had to admit that it made me smile.

Dressed and ready for the day, I got my purse and bag before getting my phone. On the way out, I notice that either Lizzy was asleep or she wasn’t home. Not wanting to wake her, I just headed out. In the elevator, I check my phone and did in fact have a message from Kalen.

HIM:
I don’t think I can wait until Friday to see you. I have to see you tonight.

Using both hands, I typed him back.
I can’t Friday. I’m going to Lizzy’s art showing at her gallery. But tonight sounds fine.

When he didn’t respond right away, I headed into the subway to go to work. By the time I’d gotten there, Kalen had sent me a final message saying I’d pay for all my teasing when he saw me. I rode the smile our banter had given me throughout my day, even when things didn’t go over so well.

Continuing my work reviewing cash accounts, I had to request copies of significant transactions that occurred to ensure they were recorded properly. So when I handed the clerk my list, I saw the fear in her eyes. I was used to it by then. Company employees saw auditors like me as a threat to their jobs. In their minds, we were here to prove they weren’t doing a good job, which wasn’t the case.

“Here is my list of transactions I need to verify. If you could provide me with a copy of the wire or check request, documents supporting what that transaction is and a copy of the journal entry to record it,” I said.

The brunette, who didn’t look much older than me, seemed to be wearing the same frown she had the first day I met her. “You want me to pull these,” she said while setting the list down on her desk, pointing to a group of one-dollar transactions I’d slipped into the request. Technically, it wasn’t procedure to test immaterial amounts. However, I was still within my rights to ask. My supervisor wouldn’t like it, but he’d left this afternoon for a meeting and wouldn’t be back. Thus it was the perfect time for me to make this request.

“Yes,” I said. “It seems these are consistent each month and I just need to verify they are in fact bank fees.

The girl nodded and I took my leave. An hour hadn’t elapsed before the clerk’s supervisor showed up at our conference room door. I was expecting this, hence why Kevin not being here was important. The guy had the list I’d given the girl in his hand. “Nelly tells me that you requested documentation for all of these.”

I nodded while he loomed over me as I sat at the conference table. Then he leaned in, like we were buddies and pointed to that same group of immaterial yet suspicious, at least in my mind, transactions. “And you want these?” he asked.

Nodding again, he looked in my eyes. We were so close at this point, he only had to lean in a few more inches and we’d be touching. “Nelly’s really busy and I don’t see the point. In my previous years as an auditor, I’d never request such a ludicrous transactions.”

First, I didn’t like the smell of his breath or that he was close enough for me to smell it. Second, I didn’t like his tone or suggesting that I didn’t know what I was doing. So, unlike how I’d been raised, I said in a dismissive tone, “Times have changed, deal with it.”

The guy’s eyes burned with hate. He huffed, stood up and said, “Some of these are handled by international offices. We just consolidate these accounts on our books. It may take a few days.”

I nodded and he strode out of the room. Anna peeked up over her laptop. “What was that about?”

Shrugging, I said, “The usual.” Being an auditor, you needed thick skin because you weren’t well liked wherever you went. What I liked about my current team I worked with, they didn’t ask a lot of questions. Anna left things at that and Jim had barely glanced our way.

By the end of the day I was exhausted and headed straight home. I walked in the door to find Lizzy dressed for a night on the town. “Where are you going, butterfly?” I teased.

“Date,” she said.

“I have to say, you sure have been spending a lot of time with this model.” I gave her a knowing stare. He wasn’t her normal type. Lizzy liked them a lot rougher around the edges.

“I’m trying something new. You know, Matt’s been giving my parents heartburn, especially when he didn’t go see them when he came into town. Mom is just devastated.” I saw Lizzy pain for her parents and felt it. “He asked mom to meet him for lunch without dad and she refused. I don’t know, Bails. So, I’m trying to be the good daughter, I guess.”

Trying to lighten the mood, I asked, “And how long will that last?”

“Who knows,” she said. She seemed not to know a lot. “But he’s fun and he’s always taking me to all of these industry events. I see the most interesting people. The other day, I saw,” and she rattled off the names of a few celebrities known to live in New York. “Anyways, so he’s not a ton of fun in bed. I can work on that.” She shrugged. If I’d still been with Scott, I might have understood. But I’d seen the light. I wasn’t sure I could stay with someone forever anymore and not have great sex.

Peeking out from searching the refrigerator for food, I had to admire her frankness. Lizzy had no problem sharing all details of her sexual exploits. And even though I wasn’t one for a blow by blow play list of what happened in mine, she respected that. “So why stay with him?”

“Oh honey, all men can be taught. So he won’t be a natural. I’ll still get mine.” And she winked.

Shaking my head, I went back to foraging for food. “Well, I’m off. You can scream your head off without notice from me tonight.” And she winked again. Clearly she’d heard me last night. Not that I didn’t think she would have. But I’d forgotten that little faux pas until that moment.

Not sure what Kalen would want to do because I hadn’t heard back from him, I ate a salad and waited on the sofa with my latest historical novel. This one featured a cover of a sexy Highlander in a kilt holding a sword. I couldn’t help imagining Kalen in one. The hero was in the middle of savaging his woman when my phone rang.

Setting the book down, I answered with a “Hello.” I knew it was Kalen because of the Unknown Caller on the display. It didn’t seem to matter that I’d programmed his number in. The privacy feature didn’t register the Unknown.

“Hey beautiful,” he said. My body tightened in response to his voice.

“Are you on your way?” I asked, hopeful.

“Sorry, Lass, I stepped out of a meeting to let you know that things are going to run late and not wait up for me.”

“Oh,” I said, unable to mask the disappointment in my voice.

“You sound disappointed,” he said.

“Maybe,” I answered.

“I think I’m more disappointed than you.” And he sounded very sincere.

“It’s okay.”

“Would you mind if I came over after?” he asked.

“It’s late, I’ll be sleep,” I said.

“I know. But I just want to lie next to you. I promise to be good and not wake you.”

“Alright, call me when you get here and I’ll open the door.”

“Hopefully I won’t be too late.”

There was no reason to deny I wanted it as much as him. So I said, “Okay.” 

When sleep called a couple hours later, I headed to my room, leaving my phone ring volume up on my bedside table.  It felt like only moments after I’d gone to bed for the night that I stirred to consciousness when the bed dipped and arms came around me. I sighed.

“Go to sleep,” he murmured, pulling me tight against his chest. I felt his stiffness on my bottom and his hand land on my thigh. Part of my brain longed to wake up. How had he gotten in? Had Lizzy been home? And damn if all his hardness didn’t have much to offer. But sleep overcame me and tugged me back into its depths.