Reparation (4 page)

“Why do you
say that?” Matt asks suspiciously.

“Because…
I know you wouldn’t be hurting this bad if he had not been so
dear to you.”

Shrugging his
shoulders, Matt doesn’t even hedge. “Save it, Freud. You
think I don’t know this already?”

“Matt, do you
even know what happened between Cal and your ex-wife?” I don’t
think he does, because if he did… if what Cal told me happened
was the truth, then I’m not so sure Matt would be this
unyielding.

“I know all I
need to. She was married to me… he fucked her. What more is
there?”

“You’re
not interested in the details?”

“Why would I
be?” he asks, incredulous. “I don’t get where
you’re going with all of this.”

“I’m
just curious if there is room in your heart to forgive him. I’m
not saying you have to ever be friends again, but forgiveness goes a
long way toward having a peaceful heart.”

Matt considers my
words. He stares at me deeply, chewing on his bottom lip. But then
his gaze hardens. “I’m sorry, Mac. I just don’t
have it in me. I’ve worked really hard to put it behind me and
move on. Please don’t ask me to do more than that.”

My heart sinks a
tiny bit, but I also completely understand Matt’s feelings on
this.

I understand, and I
respect them.

“What do you
want me to do?” I ask.

“I want you to
promise me you’ll end your friendship with Cal and have no
further contact with him.”

I smile at him. I
smile at him in sadness and understanding. Pushing up onto my knees,
I crawl across the couch and climb onto his lap. I’m relieved
when his arms come around me to hold me tight.

Laying my cheek on
his chest, I whisper. “Okay… I’ll do that for
you.”

His lips press into
my hair, and he quietly says, “Thank you.”

True to my word, I
called Cal and explained what was going on with Matt and that he had
asked me to cut ties. Cal was extremely understanding but was also
sad to be losing a friend. I was very sad, too, because I genuinely
liked Cal and understood his side of the story. I wasn’t giving
up though. I would continue to work on Matt.

Speaking of Matt…
I was hoping to see him soon. He’s been in a trial all week and
working late, late hours, so we haven’t had any time together
other than a few stolen moments in the morning before he’d head
off to court. He would always call me late at night when he was
finally leaving the office, usually around midnight, just to say
goodnight.

I missed him and
couldn’t wait for this damn trial to be over with, so I could
have him back.

The phone on my desk
buzzes, and I can see that it is Bea calling me. Picking it up, I
drawl, “What’s up?”

“He’s a
fifteen again,” she whispers. “He just barreled through
the doors, and he’s pissed. I think he lost the trial.”

Slamming my phone
down, I take off for Matt’s office, my heart sinking. He’s
going to be devastated as he was so invested in this case. Just as I
round the corner and see Matt’s office, I catch a glimpse of
him stepping inside and slamming the door behind him.

I walk—okay,
run
—toward his office and don’t even bother with a
knock. I open the door, slip in, and shut it behind me. Except, the
door pushes open, moving me out of the way. Bill walks inside and
shuts the door again.

Matt is pacing back
and forth, anger all over his face.

“What
happened?” I ask quietly.

Snapping his head my
way, Matt glares at me. “What do you think happened? I fucking
lost the case.”

“It’s
not a big deal,” Bill urges. “We didn’t even have
that much money invested in it.”

Matt spins around,
and I swear I see flames leaping from his irises. “It’s
not about the fucking money, you jackass. My clients’ lives are
screwed up. The judge totally fucked us on the jury instructions.”

Stepping forward, I
hesitantly lay my hand on Matt’s arm. “Is there an
appealable error?”

The fire seems to
die out of his eyes, and he takes a deep breath, letting it out in
one big rush. He picks up my hand, which is resting on him, and
brings it to his lips, giving me a tentative smile. “Yes. There
are several errors for appeal. I’ll have you help me get the
Notice filed.”

Glancing over my
shoulder at Bill, he says, “I’m sorry I yelled, Bill.”

Chuckling, Bill
heads back out of the office. “No worries. And I think Mac is
better equipped to deal with your snarly ass than I am.”

Matt takes his
jacket off and tosses it on a chair. I watch as he undoes his cuff
links and rolls his sleeves up, appearing to be lost in thought. He
takes a seat behind his desk, and loosens his tie around his neck a
bit. His original outburst is done, but I can still see the tension
radiating off him as he stares down at his desk.

I glance back at his
door. Bill had left it opened a crack, so I walk up to it and shut
it. I turn the lock, and it makes a distinctive
snick
that
reverberates through the room.

Matt’s head
snaps up at the sound, and he pins me with his eyes. “What are
you doing?”

I start to walk
toward him, making sure my hips sway provocatively. Unbuttoning the
yellow, silk blouse I’m wearing, I let it fall to the floor so
he can appreciate the lacy, white bra I’m wearing.

“I’m
getting ready to make all your fantasies come true,” I purr as
I step around his desk and come up to his side.

Matt turns his chair
slightly and looks up at me. He stares at my breasts in longing, and
his voice is thick when he says. “What do you mean?”

Leaning over, I kiss
his neck and whisper, “I’m getting ready to give you a
five-star blow job.”

Matt groans, leans
his head back against his chair, and closes his eyes.

“I don’t
need that,” he murmurs.

Laughing softly, I
drop down on my knees in front of him. Quickly removing his belt, I
slowly unzip his pants past the already huge erection that he’s
sporting. “Baby… I’ve never seen anyone in more
need of a blow job than you right now.”

“Fuck,”
he hisses through his teeth. “You’re killing me here.”

Pulling his pants
and underwear down slightly, I take his length into my hand,
marveling at the silky feel of his hot skin against my palm. I
squeeze him gently, rubbing my thumb along the tip, and Matt gives a
groan.

“Shhh,”
I whisper as I start stroking him. His hips press upward, urging me
on.

“What if
someone calls me?”

“Answer the
phone,” I say nonchalantly as I lean forward and lick him from
base to tip. He actually grunts at the contact.

“What if
someone knocks on the door?” he gasps when I lick him again.

“Tell them to
go away.” This time I take him all the way in, straight to the
back of my throat, where I relax it so I don’t gag him out. He
tastes divine, and I can feel him trembling all over.

“What if—?”
he starts to ask, but I cut him off.

Releasing him from
my mouth, I say, “Baby… shut up and enjoy this.”

He grins at me and
leans his head back again, closing his eyes. I take him back in my
mouth, and then I go to town on my man. I pull him in deep, relishing
the way he slides between my tongue and the roof of my mouth.
Bringing his hands to my hair, he grips me hard. His hips start
moving on their own, and I can tell he’s completely powerless
to stop them.

I let my hand in on
the action. As I pull up on his cock with my lips, I let my hand
squeeze and stroke him around the base. Apparently, this feels good
to the male persuasion because at this point, Matt starts babbling
almost incoherently. I can make out a few words like “fuck,”
“blow,” and “come,” but he butchers most of
the English language with words like “woirsht” and
“ferulsa”.

No clue what they
mean.

The time comes when
I feel him get even larger, even harder, in my mouth, and I take a
peek up at him. I love when he looks like this… eyes squeezed
shut, mouth hanging slightly open, and eyebrows angled in. He’s
getting ready to come, and I relish it.

He erupts hot into
my mouth on a down stroke, and fortuitously straight down the back of
my throat. He moans low and long, and I’m pretty sure anyone
walking by right now would hear it.

And you guessed it…
he whispers my name over and over as I continue to move up and down
his length a few more times until every spasm has quieted down, and
his grip relaxes from my hair.

I pull away and tuck
him gently back into his pants, pulling the zipper up. Standing up, I
lean over and grab his tie, pulling him forward so I can give him a
soft kiss. He breathes a relaxed sigh over me.

“Feeling
better?” I ask him.

His eyes open and
they are light golden, looking at me with awe and reverence. He nods
and says, “You’re amazing.”

I flash him a quick
smile and straighten his tie out. “I know. Now, let’s
talk about this appeal and figure what we need to do so we can kick
those motherfucker’s asses.”

Matt’s
laughter rings out loud, and yeah… my chest puffs out a little
that I did that to him.

“Hey, baby.
I’d like another Slippery Nipple.” I punctuate my
statement by wriggling my bottom against Matt’s lap. I can feel
the rumble of a groan tearing through him, but he grips my waist hard
to stop my movements.

Party pooper. Who
cares if we’re out in public?

“No more
Slippery Nipples for you,” Matt says emphatically. “You’re
going to be hating life tomorrow as it is.”

Dude! Cut off by my
boyfriend and during my celebration. That’s messed up.

I look at my watch
and I admit… I must be a little drunk because I have to squint
my eyes to bring it into focus. It’s only nine PM, which makes
it even more embarrassing that I’ve been cut off.

We’re
celebrating because I had my first solo hearing today and won. Now,
granted… it wasn’t much of a fight, and yeah, the other
side didn’t even show up, so technically the judge had no
choice but to grant in my favor. But hey, a win is a win is a win,
and I wasn’t about to say no to Matt when he suggested we go
out for drinks to celebrate.

He surprised me even
more when he suggested I invite Macy, and so now here I sit with my
boyfriend and my best friend. It’s a plethora of ‘friends’.

Whoa… I just
used the word plethora, so I can’t be
that
drunk.

“Hey Macy…
I just used the word ‘plethora’ in my mind,” I say,
genuinely impressed with myself.

Taking a sip of her
vodka tonic, Macy grins at me. She’s completely enjoying my
inebriated state because she doesn’t get to see me this way
often. I don’t like giving up control.

“That’s
great, Mac. But so what?” she asks, shooting Matt a
conspiratorial wink.

“W-e-e-e-e-ll,”
I drawl out. “I’m obviously not that drunk if I can use
big words in my head. Thus, I deserve another Slippery Nipple.”

Matt’s arms
wrap around my waist, and I can feel the rumble of his chuckle
against my back. He leans in and kisses me on the neck. “It’s
arguments like that that will make you a legal star. I’m
convinced. I’ll go get you another Slippery Nipple.”

Matt deposits me
back in my chair and heads off to the bar. I watch him as he walks
away, leaning my head on my hand, and giving a swooning sigh.

“Girl…
you have it bad,” Macy remarks. “I never saw you act this
way around Pete.”

“Pete who?”
I ask. “There is no Pete… there is only Matt. Hey…
that sounds like a really deep, philosophical statement. Kind of
like, ‘I think, therefore I am’. Except now it’s,
‘There is no Pete… therefore there’s Matt’.
Man, I have layers.”

Macy bursts out
laughing at me. “I love you, Mac. I really, really do.”

A silly grin breaks
across my face. “Awww. I love you, Macy-girl. I love Matt,
too.”

“You do?”
Macy asks, her laughing abruptly gone and replaced by genuine
curiosity.