Sweet Addiction (13 page)

“What?” I ask, seeing
her eyes beginning to water.
Oh Christ.

“He calls you love? Ah
hell, Dylan, I don’t know who’s more romantic.” She wipes under her eyes and I
feel mine well up. “You better hold on tight to that one, sweets.”

“Yeah, tell me about
it,” I say and blink rapidly, trying to dry mine up. 

Juls backs out of the
parking space and drives through the lot, slowing down and staring past me
through my window. “Hey, isn’t that one of the desk girls from their work? She
looks really familiar.”

My eyes follow hers and
I recognize the girl immediately, the hair a dead giveaway. She’s sitting on a
bench partially obstructed by a tree and staring in the direction of the
basketball game. “That’s Reese’s receptionist. Fucking bitch. She was so rude
to me when I went to kill him on Monday, acting all possessive and catty. Why
the fuck is
she
here?” Part of me wants to hop out of the car and run
straight into his arms, declaring in front of her and whoever else wanted to
watch that he is mine. But I don’t. Instead I just glare at her profile.

“I don’t know but she’s
staring at them like a creep. Redheads freak me the fuck out.”

“Me too. Come on, let’s
go eat.” 

Now that I seem to have
not completely blown it with Reese, my appetite is back with a vengeance.
Although, it is still a bit unsettling seeing his receptionist eye the lot of
them up like she wants to eat them.
Maybe she’s dating one of the other
three guys?
I make a mental note to ask Reese about it next time we see
each other which I decide will not be until Tuesday. I can’t see him every day.
I’m already struggling with keeping my feelings and emotions out of this thing
between us enough as it is.

**

Monday morning came
quicker than I would have liked. I passed out early on Sunday and slept
soundly, not hearing my phone ring when Joey called at 2:00 a.m. Noticing the
missed call when my alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m, I dial him quickly, putting it
on speaker phone as I get into my running gear.

“I have news, cupcake.
I’m on my way though so meet me out front.”

“Okay.” I end the call
and slip on my sports bra, tank top, and running shorts before popping into my
Nikes. Grabbing my phone and my keys, I run downstairs and out the front door,
locking up behind me as I begin to stretch.

It’s already humid out
and my top begins to stick to me in the most uncomfortable way possible.
Summers in Chicago can be brutal, and when you start sweating immediately after
stepping outside in the early morning hours, you know you’re in for a hot one.
This was one of the reasons why I didn’t understand the appeal for a summer
wedding, at least not here anyway. Maybe somewhere with no humidity that didn’t
turn your hair into a frizz fest after spending hours on making it look nothing
less than perfect. I attended an outdoor wedding a few summers ago where I
appallingly watched my beautiful three-tiered white chocolate creation melt in
front of everyone at the reception. It was awful. Luckily, the bride thought it
was hilarious and didn’t care one way or the other because she was so
deliriously happy to be married to her husband. Juls worked that wedding with
me and told me that the couple had only been dating nine weeks before he
proposed to her and at the time, I remember thinking that there was no way in
hell that marriage was going to last. How could anyone know without a doubt
that they wanted to be with each other forever after only being together a few
months? Juls agreed with me, saying that the bride had mentioned how strongly
her family was against the marriage but she didn’t care. She told my best
friend that she didn’t want to wait any longer to start her life with him and
that when it’s right, it’s just right. The past three summers on their
anniversary, I’ve gotten a thank you card from the bride for helping make their
day so special. And now look at Juls. She’s only known Ian a few months and is
crazy in love with him.
And look at you, Dylan. No, don’t look at me.
Nothing to see here.

My eyes flick towards
the pavement as Joey’s tall frame comes jogging in my direction. Stopping in
front of me and pulling his knee to his chest, he looks giddy beyond his usual
giddy self.

“Are you going to make
me ask?” I question, stretching my arms over my head.

He smiles and switches
legs. “Billy asked me to move in with him.”

Whoa.
“What? Are you serious? That’s crazy. What did you say?”

“Yes. Obviously.” He jumps
up and down on his feet and motions to me that he is ready to start running.

“Obviously? Joey, do
you even really know this guy? He could cut out your organs and sell them on
eBay. He could have a weird fetish.”

He shakes his head. “I
know him as well as you know Reese and you’re in love with him.”

Fucking Juls.
Jesus Christ, I needed some new friends.
“I
cannot
believe she
told you that. I will cut a bitch next time her skinny ass walks into my shop.”
Realizing that Joey has stopped running, I glance back and see his expression.
Motherfucker.
He is one sneaky bitch.

“I fucking
knew
it. You love him, Dylan. Oh my God, this is fantastic.” Running up to me, he
grabs my shoulders and pulls me against his already drenched shirt.

“Gross you’re all
sweaty. And I am not in love with him. Juls told me that she was in love with
Ian and I said something about maybe, possibly, doubtfully one day being in
love with Reese. That’s it. End of discussion.”

Stepping back and
holding me at arm’s length, he studies me for a moment before he speaks. “Okay,
whatever. But I think I’m in love so can we focus on that fucking weirdness for
a second?”

We hit our stride and I
let Joey tell me all about how he’s seen Billy practically every night since
they met at the wedding and that he’s never felt anything even close to this
before, which I knew already. Joey was never shy about his feelings towards his
hookups and always shared more information than I would care to know most of
the time.  He told me that they were hanging out at Billy’s last night,
lounging and watching television together when he just came out and asked Joey
to move in and without hesitation, Joey said yes. He said that he didn’t have
to think about it, that he knew he wanted to be with Billy every free second he
had and that he had never been this happy before with just one person. I was
speechless.  I was literally without speech. This was Joey Holt we were
talking about here. The man who went through other men like he was going for
some kind of record. He once hooked up with three guys in one night at a club
and did it without them knowing about each other. His longest running
relationship was five minutes. And now after a little over a week of knowing
somebody, he’s wifing up? I wasn’t sure whose wedding I would be getting fitted
for first, Juls’ or Joey’s.
 

I called Mrs. Frey that
afternoon, confirming the details of her anniversary cake she wanted me to
create for her since I missed our meeting on Tuesday. She sweetly asked me how
I was feeling and told me how excited she was to be celebrating fifty years of
marriage with her husband. Fifty years. I couldn’t even imagine. She was a bit
undecided about her cake flavors, knowing only that her husband wanted a
chocolate cake but not having any other preferences. I smiled to myself when I
asked her if the two of them liked mint chocolate and she squealed into the
phone. Suggesting my newly discovered chocolate peppermint frosting and telling
her how absolutely decadent it was, she settled on her cake and I reassured her
it would be ready for pickup on Friday.

After ending her call,
I slip my phone out of my pocket and scroll to the contact info of a certain
icing lover.

Me: Guess what kind of cake I get
to make for someone’s anniversary? I’ll give you a hint. It’s a flavor that you
seem to be quite fond of.

I walk into the back as
Joey helps a customer and begin pulling out ingredients. I have a good amount
of baking to do tonight to prepare for the meeting I’m supplying tomorrow and
want to start on it as soon as possible. I decide to make an assortment of
muffins, blueberry, poppy seed, and my banana nut ones, some apple turnovers,
and a variety of fruit and cheese danishes. The excitement of seeing Reese is
almost palpable at this point and I need to stay busy. Placing my mixer on the
work top, my phone beeps and I run over to where I had laid it down on the
other side of the table.

Reese: Could it be a cake with a
certain hot pink frosting that I licked off you?

Me: That’s the one. I don’t think
I’ll look at that frosting the same again. Or my work top for that matter.

Reese: Well I’ll definitely never
look at my couch the same. How’s your day going?

I giggle and pull the
baking flour, sugar, and salt off the shelf.

Me: Good. Busy like every Monday.
I’m going to be slammed all night making the breakfast treats for tomorrow.
How’s your day?

Reese: Full of meetings that I’m
having trouble focusing in. My mind is elsewhere.

Me: Oh is that right? And where is
that dirty mind of yours right now?

I grab several mixing
bowls and baking sheets and spread them out in front of me as I let my own mind
wander elsewhere.

Reese: Well, it’s imagining you
spread out in front of me wearing a dress with nothing underneath it, your legs
open and my face buried between them. But earlier, I was fucking you on my
desk, against my window and in my chair. I’ve had a very unproductive day.

“Shit.” Note to self,
never read a dirty text from Reese while opening a bag of flour, which I am now
currently covered in. “Nice one, Dylan.”

“You all right,
cupcake?” Joey yells from up front as I quickly dust myself off.

“Yeah. Reese is also
really good at the explicit text messaging. Like
really
good.”

“God damn it, Billy.”

I laugh under my breath
at Joey’s comment as I sweep up the flour I’ve just spilled everywhere. Wiping
my hands off on my apron, I grab my phone and quickly reply.

Me: Well, I think we should be able
to make at least one of those things happen tomorrow. That big dick better be
ready for me.

Reese: My dick and I can’t wait.
See you tomorrow, love.

Joey and I load up Sam
on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. with the breakfast treats, leaving me with just enough
time to run back inside to give myself a quick once over before it’s time to
go. I’ve picked out a pale pink summer dress and paired it with some strappy
sandals, pulling my hair up into a bun before I run downstairs and lock up the
shop. Joey is perched against the van and messing with his phone when I finally
emerge.

“Okay, how do I look?
Professional with a hint of playful? Do you think the dress is too much? Maybe
I should wear my apron. Should I wear my apron?”
Christ, why the hell was I
nervous? I’ve supplied tons of business meetings with treats before. Of course,
I wasn’t banging any of the men I supplied for until now.

He smiles and slips his
phone away. “The only way I would suggest for you to wear your apron would be
if you were to
only
wear your apron. You look great, cupcake.”

“Thanks. I think Reese
likes me in dresses.” I walk around to the driver’s side and hop in as Joey
gets in on his side.

“Hmmm I wonder why?” He
laughs as my phone beeps. I quickly slip it out of my purse.

Reese: Counting the minutes. (19 to
be exact)

I giggle.

Me: Oh come on, Mr. CPA, I’m sure
you can do better than that.

Reese: 1140 seconds. Also, I met
you roughly 823,447 seconds ago. Now get your sweet ass here safely so I can
kiss you.

I hear a muffled laugh
from my right. “Are we going to be driving to the Walker & Associates
building or are they coming to us for the meeting?” Joey asks as I put my phone
in the cup holder, grinning like an idiot.

“Smart ass. Does Billy
know you can get testy in the morning?”

He laughs as I pull
away from the shop. “Oh he knows, cupcake. He knows. By the way, this Saturday
we’re having our coming out as an official couple party or whatever the fuck,
Billy’s idea. 7:00 p.m. at his place, I mean our place. Ooohhh I love the sound
of that.”

“You’re adorable. What
should I bring? Booze?” I ask, weaving in and out of traffic.

“Obviously, bitch, and
a housewarming gift for yours truly.” He sneaks in that last part under his
breath and I laugh. I’m giddily excited to go to this particular party, and not
just because I get to see Billy and Joey together and the home that they will
be sharing which I’m sure is insanely chic. Joey has impeccable taste and even
though I’ve only seen Billy a few times, the man can dress. But I’m also
excited because a certain numbers guy that I’m crushing on will most likely be
attending with me. And the thought of that makes me drive a little bit faster
towards our destination.

**

I make Joey carry the
bulk of the load as we walk into the foyer, across the marble floor and to the
back of the lobby to the row of elevators. Riding up to the twelfth floor, I
shift anxiously on my feet as I hold my two boxes of muffins in my hands,
glancing over at the top of Joey’s head that sticks up behind his seven boxes.
Trying to muffle my giggles, I hear him grunt and make tiny noises of protest as
the elevator stops on our floor and I walk behind him, placing my hand on his
back.

“If I drop this,
cupcake, it’ll be your fault. This is once again a perfect reason why we need
another fucking employee.”

“Stop bitching we’re
almost there.” I walk down the long hallway, guiding Joey along with me and
stop at Ian’s reception desk. The young blonde looks up and smiles warmly.

“Ms. Sparks?” she asks
and I nod.

“That’s me. Where
should we take these?”

Joey turns his body so
that he can see the girl. “Seriously, where hunny cause I’m about to drop all
of these and those sexy businessmen can eat them off the floor for all I care.”

She laughs a bit.
“First door on your right. Go on in. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Carroll are expecting
you.” I smile at her and walk with Joey to the tall door, opening it with my
free hand and allowing him to walk ahead of me.

We step into a large
conference room that has a killer view, tall floor to ceiling windows that
overlook the bustling city, and a long rectangular table. A few men, all in
nice suits, glance up from their seats as they flip through files while another
group of men stand in the corner by the window, conversing together. My eyes
find Reese like a honing missile. Standing in a dark gray suit with a two
button jacket and a light and dark gray patterned tie, he stops mid-sentence as
his eyes fall on me. I feel it, that familiar pull in my gut that makes me want
to drop my boxes and spring up into his arms. The man rocks a suit better than
anyone. But instead of acting on impulse, I settle for a smile.

“Hi,” I say softly as
he moves towards me, his long legs bringing him to me quickly. I hear a laugh
coming from the corner and think I recognize it as Ian’s but can’t be positive.
Right now, the only other person in the room with me is Reese.

“Hi, yourself. Here,
let me take that.” He grabs my boxes and places them on the table while Joey
mutters something under his breath.

“I can’t wait to dig
into these, Dylan. My girl talks about your creations nonstop and I’m
starving,” Ian says as he walks up to the table and opens a muffin box.

“Well I hope you enjoy
them. The banana ones are my favorite. Oh, nobody has allergies right?” I ask
and hear a round of muffled ‘Nos.’

“Will someone take
these from me already? For Christ’s sake, Reese,” Joey says and I cover up my
mouth quickly to hide my laugh.

Reese takes his gaze
off me and grabs several boxes off the top, revealing a very red faced Joey.
“Sorry, man,” he apologizes and spreads the boxes out at the end of the table.
Joey shakes his head in frustration, placing the remaining boxes on the table
in front of the businessmen and opening them.

“Gentlemen, please help
yourselves to the treats provided by Dylan’s Sweet Tooth. We’ll get started in
five,” Ian announces. Shuffling of papers and footsteps fill the room and I
watch as Reese turns away from the table and walks towards me. Joey steps aside
and pulls out his phone, smiling at something and giving me the indication that
the something he is smiling at is Billy related.

“Handsome,” I say
softly as Reese stops just in front of me, his hands rubbing softly up my arms.

“Love, you look so
pretty. I love you in dresses.” My chest constricts as he leans in and plants
three gentle kisses on my lips. 

“And I love you in
suits. I’m about to say fuck your meeting and take you right here on this table
in front of everyone.”

He laughs and looks at
me wickedly. “I wouldn’t object. This meeting is going to bore the hell out of
me. Maybe I’ll make you stay to keep me company.”

I play with the buttons
on his jacket, pulling him closer to me. “If you think for one second that I
could stay in this room with you looking like that and not wrap my lips around
you, you’re crazy.”

His hand grabs my face and
he leans into my hair, brushing against my ear. “Pervert. I love that dirty
mouth of yours.” He glances down briefly at his watch before grabbing my hand.
“Come with me.”

I look over at Joey who
sees me getting pulled towards the door. Before I can speak, he grins and winks
at me. “Meet you downstairs, cupcake.” I blush instantly as I nod at him.

“Don’t you have a
meeting to run?” I ask as Reese pulls me down the hallway towards his office.
My stomach is doing flips in anticipation of getting him alone.

“The meeting can wait.
I need you.” My heart squeezes at his words as we walk into his reception area.
Stop interpreting things the way you shouldn’t, Dylan.
Scanning the
small area as we walk towards his door, I lock onto the redhead behind the desk
who glares in my direction, her eyes going to my hand that is in Reese’s and
her jaw clenching before she looks back up at my face. “Uh, Mr. Carroll, you
have that meeting.”

“Not now, Heather.”

Her face hardens as he
pulls me into his office and closes the door behind us, locking it before he
presses me against it.

“Fucking hell, I need
more than five minutes, Dylan. I don’t like rushing with you.” His lips find
mine and I part for him, stroking my tongue against his as he reaches down and
wraps my legs around his waist. I moan into him as his erection digs right
where I want it, rubbing me right where I need it. My hands grip his head and
hold it to mine as his one hand slips in between us. He undoes his belt,
unzipping and unbuttoning his slacks and pulls himself free.

“This is going to be
hard and quick, love.”

“Please hurry, I need
you.” My panties are moved to the side and the touch of his finger between my
legs makes me gasp. A low grunt escapes his lips as he buries his face into my
neck and pushes inside me. He growls loudly, his one fist coming up and banging
the door above my head.

“You’re so wet. I love
how ready you are for me,” he says between muffled sounds as he pounds into me.
I hold on tightly around his neck, groaning as he strokes inside me with the
perfect amount of pressure. I won’t last long and I know it. I’ve been primed
for him all morning.  My legs tremble around his waist as his hands hold
my ass and pull me towards him to meet his thrusts.

“Reese, OhGod.” I throw
my head back and bite my lip to quiet my sounds. I want everyone to hear us and
I don’t at the same time. Part of me didn’t care that I am being fucked hard
against his door with his secretary just outside, but the other part of me
wants it to be just us in this moment.  He licks up my neck to my ear and
bites down lightly, pulling the tip into his mouth as his one hand comes around
me and holds my face. His lunges become harder and I dig my nails into his neck
and pull him closer, needing him as close to me as I can get him.

“Dylan.”

My name on his lips
pushes me to the top. The burning sensation shoots through my body and I lose
control willingly. “I’m coming.” I strain and arch into him, giving him the
angle we both need to get him deeper. He growls and I feel him twitch inside me
as I erupt around him at the same time. Warm release fills me and I pull his
head back to allow me to watch him. “Look at me.”

His eyes fixate on
mine, wide and dilated as he stills and exhales sharply. Blinking heavily, he
drops his head. “Jesus Christ,” he says. His forehead is beaded with sweat and
his hair is a right hot mess which makes me smile. No one can pull off the
I
just got fucked
hair like Reese. I am placed down on my feet and have to
keep my arms around him to steady myself.

“Wow. You might have to
carry me out of here,” I say through a laugh. He grins and studies me as he
tucks himself away, watching me pull my dress down.

“I could do that.” He
moves quickly to his desk and grabs a few tissues, dropping down in front of me
and wiping between my legs. He discards them in the trash bin and returns in
front of me, brushing the strand of hair that fell from my bun away from my
face.

I’m certain I look
thoroughly fucked but don’t care in the least. This man owns my body and I will
let him use it wherever and whenever, and the thought suddenly frightens me. I
swallow loudly and back up a bit. “I think your meeting may have started
without you.” I make sure my dress is covering everything, glancing behind me
quickly. His hand stills on the door handle, getting ready to turn it when he
looks over at me.

“I want to see you
tonight.” His voice is low, his eyes hooded as if he’s bracing himself for my
reaction.

I study him for a
second before I respond. “But you just saw me.” I want to see him too, I want
to see him every second of every day but I can’t. I’m not strong enough for
that.

He moves closer to me.
“I know. Is there a rule that says I can’t see you twice in one day?”

“Shouldn’t there be?”
My question hangs in the air between us for a moment before he nods in
agreement. And then I see it, the shift in his expression that makes my stomach
tense. He looks nervous and uneasy.
Was he struggling with this as much as I
was?  Isn’t this what he wanted?
I don’t ask but I hate seeing him
like this, so I step in closer and slide my arms around his waist, planting a
kiss on his jaw as he holds me against him.

“I just, I don’t want
to get too attached.”
Because I’m falling in love with you and it will kill
me when you’re done with me.

He clamps his lips
together and nods before planting a kiss on my forehead. “I know. Come on,
pretty girl.  I have a meeting to run.” I stand on my toes and plant quick
kisses on his lips as he laughs against my mouth.
Serious conversation over,
playful Reese back.

Swinging his office
door open, he places his hand on my lower back and ushers me out into the
reception area and down the hallway. My eyes briefly fall on little Miss
Uppity, her expression cold as usual but I don’t linger. I laugh under my
breath and Reese looks down at me. “Something funny?” He stops in front of the
conference room door and turns to me.

“Your receptionist is
kind of a bitch.”