Boss Me (10 page)

“No, of course not. I just didn’t picture you as a mother,” he says sheepishly.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me, honestly. It’s not like I’m all warm and fuzzy at work,” I say with the hint of a smile.

Will laughs. “That’s true,” he says with a big smile.

“You wondered who could possibly love Cruella, didn’t you?” I ask, my smile never leaving my face.

I can’t help but laugh as his eyes widen and he seems to stumble over his words.

“Don’t worry, William. I know what everyone calls me behind my back,” I say as I sit Indian-style on the couch. “It doesn’t bother me that people don’t like me or that they call me Cruella when I’m looking the other way. My goal when I started my job was to do the best I could with the resources I was given. I’m not there to be anyone’s friend. I’m their boss.”

“Yes, you are. You are my boss,” Will says as he sits down next to me and takes my hand. “While we’re at the hospital, you’re my boss and I am one of your employees. When I’m here with you, like right now? This is just a man and woman getting to know each other. This is a man and a woman enjoying each other’s company. This is a man and woman exploring each other’s body. This? This has nothing to do with work,” Will says as he brings my hand up to his mouth. His breath fans around my knuckles as he places soft kisses on each one. “This is about you and me.”

“But you and I aren’t supposed to happen at all. We could both lose our jobs,” I remind him.

“I’m willing to take the chance. I have an appetite for you that I haven’t even come close to quenching, and walking away right now isn’t an option. I want - no, I need - to find out why I crave you so much, Carmen. I need to find out why I react the way I do to you, and
that
has nothing to do with who you are during the day and where we work. I’m drawn to you in a way I’ve never experienced before in my life. Does that scare me? To death. But, not knowing what this is scares me more. Will you take that chance with me? Are you willing to risk it all to explore whatever it is that I know we both feel?”

I gulp a big breath as I get sucked into the deep, soulful vortex of Will’s blue eyes. There’s only one answer I can give him, and it’s not the answer I should give.

“Yes.”

Chapter Five

Will

The entire time we eat battered chicken pieces dipped in sweet and sour sauce, savory vegetables sautéed in noodles, and warm and creamy crab rangoons, I can’t help but replay that one word over and over again in my head. Yes. She said yes.

Of course, the question was just as important as the answer she gave because by me offering that question, I cemented my own fate in this agreement, if it should go south. But I realized as I was buried deep inside of her, watching helplessly as she relinquished control to me, that I was in deep. I was all in; throwing all of my chips in the center of the table.

“So, where is your son tonight?” I ask, stuffing another piece of chicken in my mouth.

Carmen wipes her mouth off with the napkin and takes a sip of her wine. “He’s with his father this weekend. He was supposed to go last weekend, but Nick - my ex - had to cancel again.”

“Again? Like he does that often?”

“Yeah,” she says as she sets her empty plate down on the coffee table. “Nick is the proverbial Disney Dad. He’s all fun and games when he wants to be, but disappears for short periods of time in between. He is a lawyer and has always been very career driven and focused. Unfortunately, Zach suffers because of it.”

“Just Zach?” I ask, noting the sadness in her voice.

“My suffering ended when we got divorced. The only suffering that still affects me is when I see my son upset. Nick will always choose work over family. He did it while we were married, he’s done it since the divorce, and he’ll continue to do it until he chooses not to let it come first. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

I set my plate next to Carmen’s on the coffee table and grab my glass of wine. “So how long were you married?”

“Twelve years,” she says with a distant look in her brown eyes. “We met in college and fell hard and fast. I found out I was pregnant after a year of dating. Nick was just getting ready to start Law School at Harvard, and we decided that we could defy the odds. You know, be that one couple that actually lasted through school and the stresses of two demanding careers? We were young and dumb, but determined to make it work.”

“So when did you realize it wasn’t working?” I ask. It’s hard to believe that I’m actually curious about her life before she came to Rivers Edge. Obviously, that life involved another man, but curiosity outweighs the pings of jealousy I feel as she talks about her life and love for her ex-husband.

“Looking back now, I can tell it was doomed from the beginning, though I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I just wish the resulting divorce wouldn’t have affected Zach the way it did, and still does.

“I didn’t realize we were in trouble until we had been married for ten years. Nick was working crazy hours to try to make partner. He was traveling more than he was home, and when he was in town, he would stay at his office. We barely ever saw him. Zach was growing up, and Nick wasn’t there to see it.” I’m somber as I take the trip down memory lane.

“I realized on Christmas Eve, while Zach slept on my lap on the couch after watching a Christmas movie that I wasn’t in love with him anymore. It was nothing that he did or didn’t do; it was just that we had grown apart. Years of barely seeing each other had taken its toll on us.

“I pushed my discovery aside for another several months, mostly because I wasn’t ready to completely disrupt Zach’s life, until one night when Nick came home and told me we had to talk. It was actually our anniversary, and he had apparently forgotten. When Zach went to bed, we sat down to talk. It was actually the first time we’d talked in God knows how long. That was when Nick told me he didn’t love me anymore.”

I’m sitting on the couch next to her, watching the play of emotions cross her beautiful face, and can’t help but feel sorry for this woman. She’s spent so much of her adult life raising a child practically alone, stuck in a loveless marriage for the convenience of being married. She was arm candy.

“But you know what? When he said those words, I wasn’t upset. I was relieved. I felt like a weight had actually been lifted off my shoulders,” she says with a small smile.

“We separated and Nick moved to one of the guest rooms at the house, and six months later, we divorced in probably the most amicable divorce known to man,” she says smiling.

“It’s rare to hear of an amicable divorce anymore,” I say with a small smile, taking her hand within mine.

“Right?” she says with a laugh. “It was actually very pleasant. We shared an attorney that I chose. Nick didn’t fight me for anything. We agreed on a very generous settlement and child support, and even though he offered alimony, I declined it. He takes care of all of Zach’s insurance and bills, and even reimburses me for clothing and school expenses.”

“So what brought you to Rivers Edge?” I ask as I draw lazy circles on the outside of her hand. Carmen tenses, but doesn’t answer.

“It’s actually another really long story,” she says. “Maybe we can dive into that one another time?”

“Of course,” I say as I lay her down until she’s sandwiched between the couch and me. Her soft curves feel like silk as I snake my hand under her shirt and grasp her free tits. She exhales a gasp as my lips descend onto her lush, ripe lips. Our tongues duel for dominance as our hands grab at any available flesh we can find.

I push her sweatshirt up, exposing her plump tits. Her nipples are hard little peaks and my mouth waters for one small taste. But, my problem is that I know one little taste won’t be enough.

Carmen wraps her legs around me and grinds against my rock hard cock. It throbs and practically begs to be released from the captivity of my pants. I’m ready to get naked with this woman for a second time tonight, but not here on the couch.

“Hold on tight,” I say as I make my way to a standing position with Carmen firmly holding onto my body. As soon as I’m up, I wrap my arms around her ass, dive in for other kiss, and walk us towards her bathroom. I promised her a shower, and I’m about to deliver.

Inside the small bathroom, I push Carmen’s back against the wall. Her legs tighten around me as she grinds again, creating more un-fucking-believable friction. I almost go completely out of my ever-loving mind with pleasure. I have her sweatshirt off the rest of the way moments later, while Carmen helps relieve me of my undershirt. I quickly throw my glasses up on the sink as we both grind against each other, driven to release some of the tension building in our bodies. The hard peeks of her nipples rub against my chest as I devour her mouth with another scorching kiss. Her sweet mouth is so hot it could melt diamonds, and my dick is so hard it could hammer nails. Our combined desire and need for each other is epic, driving us towards that edge of sanity.

I take two giant steps towards the tub and step inside. I don’t even remove our pants or break our kiss as I reach down and turn on the water. Cold water washes over my bare feet, soaking the bottoms of my pant legs, but I barely notice. The fiery woman in my arms has all of my attention.

As soon as the water heats to a hot, comfortable temperature, I turn on the shower. The immediate spray of ice cold water is startling and causes Carmen to shriek. She jumps in my arms, but immediately begins laughing as her lips return to mine. I let the hot water wash over us as we continue to kiss in the shower. Her lips suck, her tongue lashes, and her teeth bite as we both reach that frantic point of no return.

“I’m gonna set you down for a minute,” I say as she untwines her legs from my body.

Once she’s standing, I make quick work of pushing her tight, wet pants from her body. Carmen is already fumbling with my button and zipper and once she’s free of her clothes, I make quick work of removing the rest of mine.

As the water rains down on our heated bodies and steam fills the room, Carmen reaches forward and grabs a hold of my engorged cock. I almost lose it right then and there. Feeling her soft hand wrap firmly around me completely rocks me off my foundation. I need more. Now.

I pull her flush against me, our wet bodies rubbing and sliding against each other in the best fucking way possible. Well, almost the best way. I grab a hold of the globes of her ass and lift her up into my arms and press her firmly against the cool tile shower wall. Carmen wraps those long legs around me, which lines us up perfectly.

“Shit,” I mumble. “I don’t have a condom.”

“It’s okay. I’m clean and have an IUD for protection,” she says, those amazing brown eyes locked firmly on mine.

“I’m clean, too. I promise.” I adjust us slightly and slide home.
Holy Fuck!

Carmen gasps and tightens around me. The feel of her body without the barrier of a rubber is fucking amazing. I have to concentrate hard and run a few math facts to keep my wits about me.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whisper as I begin to move her up and down on my shaft. Carmen moans at my words, grabbing and holding me tight from within. I dip my head down and lick water off of her glistening tits as I continue to take her against the wall.

“Don’t fight this. Don’t fight me, Carmen. Just let go,” I say as I hold her neck and stare deeply into her eyes. “Let go, baby.”

Carmen starts to shatter around me. I plunge my tongue into her mouth, mimicking the action of my groin. She grips me like a vice, her internal walls milking me for all that I have as I slam into her once more. My balls tighten almost painfully as I cry out, pressing Carmen into the wall, her body firmly locked around me.

Neither of us speaks as I slowly lower her to the floor of the tub. My body mourns her loss as I pull myself loose. Her red lips are swollen from the intensity of my kisses. She looks marked which makes my cock start to tighten instantly. My reaction to her is crazy. I’ve never felt this deep need for anyone in my life. I need her like I need air. And that scares the shit out of me. I’ve never craved anyone like I do this woman.

I push that thought far back in my mind as I grab a washcloth and the bar of lavender soap. I slowly start to wash the woman standing before me, starting with her arms and legs and working my way to her stomach, her tits. When she’s lathered in white bubbles, I grab the shower wand and start to rinse. Carmen grabs the shampoo and begins the seductive chore of washing her hair. My fingers itch to dive in and help, but I refrain. I run the soapy washcloth over my body to remove the scent of sex, replacing it with the scent of her soap. That scent that was burned into my nostrils the moment we both got into the same ambulance. Her scent.

As soon as we’re both rinsed clean, Carmen turns off the water and I grab a towel. Throwing it around Carmen first, I dry her off swiftly. Grabbing a second towel for myself, I make quick work at drying my body, tying the towel low on my waist.

When we both get out, I gather up our wet pants from the floor. “I’ll go throw those in the dryer,” she offers as she takes her pants from my hand. I pull out my wallet - yeah, a little wet - and my keys and hand her my pants, too.

“Thanks,” I say as I watch her walk towards the little kitchen where I know the washer and dryer are housed. I decide to hang back in the hallway, though I’m not quite sure what I should do. I haven’t exactly been in this situation before where I know I need to leave, but I honestly don’t want to. The fact that I don’t have pants right now is my saving grace.

“So…” Carmen starts as she rounds the corner wearing only a towel and a smile. My smile matches hers as I reach out and wrap my hand around her hip.

“Come on,” I say as I lead her toward her bedroom. “I don’t have to stay,” I say as I step over the threshold and into her room. “I have to work this weekend, so I can head out as soon as my pants are dry.”

Carmen’s eyes roam over my face. “What if I don’t want you to go?” she whispers into the darkness of the room.