The One Nighter (5 page)

She knew she should stop.

She knew that she was on a one-way trip to disaster.

But the weird thing was
,
she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

His hands molded her breasts only seconds before she felt his fingers on the buttons of her shirt. She felt a cool rush of air as he pulled it open. He undid the front clasp on
her bra, pushing the cups open to reveal her. Her nipples tightened as his gaze devoured her. Then his mouth blazed a trail of fire down her neck and across her collarbone before settling over the one place that begged for his attention. His tongue snaked over her nipple, circling it, before sucking it into the warm hollow of his mouth. Her head fell back as a low moan escaped her lips.

His hands pushed her skirt up to her waist to pull her pantyhose down her legs. He lifted her onto the counter b
e
fore dropping to his knees in front of her. Spreading her legs wide with his hands, he bared her to his greedy view. Her breath caught in her throat as he stared at her.

She should have been shy.

She should have been more modest, but she couldn’t be.

She wanted him too much.

And it was time to give into that want.

She felt his tongue slide through her wet folds and co
n
vulsed.

“So wet, baby.
So wet,” he murmured, his breath tea
s
ing her.

His tongue formed hot circles around the tight nub that cried out for attention. He slid one finger inside of her, gently pumping until she thought she would go insane.
She pressed herself against his mouth desperate for the pleasure that only he could provide. Climbing higher and higher, her hand raked through his hair to hold his head against her in a desperate attempt to reach the peak she was straining for.

Suddenly, it broke.

Waves of pleasure swept through her body, making her cry out. As she was coming down, he rose to his feet. She
reached out to grab his bulging erection. Stroking it through his pants, she fumbled with his belt buckle. He helped her by pushing his pants down his legs. Desperate, she reached out to grab his cock, her hand pumping him.

All she knew was that she had to have him inside of her.

And she couldn’t wait.

She had waited long enough.

Stilling her hands long enough to slide a condom over his length, he pulled her closer to the edge of the counter.
He entered her in a single thrust, his hands sliding over her buttocks. She looked down to watch his cock disappear i
n
side of her pussy.

It was the most erotic thing she had ever seen.

“You’re so tight,” he said.

Vaguely, she heard someone banging on the door, but she didn’t care.

She couldn’t.

She was too close.

He leaned down, his tongue snaking out to swirl around her taut nipple.

She cried out as her orgasm took over, and she moved against him, mindless to anything but the pleasure she was receiving. His mouth covered hers to stifle her cries, his tongue twisting against hers in a sensual dance. His fingers curled into the sensitive skin of her buttocks as he pumped into her once, twice, three times before groaning into her mouth as he came. For a moment, they were both silent. He rested his forehead against hers as they both tried to catch their breath.

She couldn’t believe it.

She had just had sex with Connor Mason.

Again.

The banging started again, and he raised his head, his cock still nestled inside of her body. A sheepish grin slid across his face as his eyes met hers.

“We better get out of here before they call the mana
g
er.”

Of all the things he could have said, she wasn’t expec
t
ing that.

Although, maybe she should have.

After all, he had just taken her on the counter of the women’s bathroom in the back of a bar like a common whore.

What did she expect—roses and candlelight?

As they both righted their clothing, color crept into her cheeks.

If she wanted an answer, she had it.

She had accepted a date with the devil to see if she was strong enough to withstand the temptation.

And the answer was no.

Chapter 7

She still couldn’t believe it.

She had been a fool.

Worse, she had been an
easy
fool.

Now, she would have to face him again. It was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done. The worst part was that she knew it was her fault. After all, she had all but thrown herself at him.

How could she blame him for taking something she so willingly offered up?

What had she expected to happen?

After a quick check of her reflection in the rearview mirror, she opened the car door. There was nothing she could do about what happened last night. All she could do was face the morning and whatever it brought with it.

Opening the back employee entrance, she hesitantly stuck her head inside. With no sign of Connor, she made her way to her cubicle. The morning was blissfully quiet until Callie came over.

“Hey, Mel, would you mind covering the phones for me at lunch? My mom is in town, and she wants to take me to lunch,” she inquired.

With a quick smile, she replied, “Sure, no problem.”

Luckily, she didn’t see or hear from Connor for the rest of the morning. She was beginning to wonder if he was
even in. Before she knew it, lunch time came, and it was time to cover the reception desk. Walking up to the front desk, she tapped Callie on the shoulder.

Glancing over her shoulder, Callie offered a wide smile of gratitude. “Thanks so much for doing this, Mel. I really appreciate it.”

Standing up, she gave Melanie her chair.

“Things should be pretty quiet. I think almost everyone is at lunch except for Mr. Mason. He asked me to hold all of his calls,” she explained.

Melanie slid into the chair. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can handle things here. Go and have fun with your mom,” she instructed.

Watching Callie head out the back, she turned to face the computer screen. She couldn’t help but be curious about Callie’s words.

What was Connor doing?

As much as she told herself she didn’t care, she couldn’t help but wonder.

Did he regret what happened between them last night?

Just thinking about the awkward car ride they had shared made color invade her cheeks. After a couple of ro
u
tine calls, the front door opened to reveal a tall redhead. Her tailored black suit clung to every curve, and her white blouse was unbuttoned to reveal a bit of cleavage. Lustrous curls hung around her shoulders. Perfectly lined lips slid i
n
to a smile as her hazel eyes focused on Melanie.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” Melanie asked.

“I have a lunch appointment with Mr. Mason,” she e
x
plained.

Lunch appointment?

Callie didn’t say anything about a lunch appointment, especially one that came in the shape of a tall redhead with long legs and boobs that she was sure were picked out of a brochure.

“I’m sorry. Mr. Mason didn’t say anything about a lunch appointment,” she admitted.

Sighing heavily, she pointed her perfectly manicured finger at the switchboard. “Well, why don’t you tell him that Miranda
Talbott
is here?” she suggested.

Gritting her teeth to keep from responding to the other woman’s condescending tone, she picked up the headset. Hitting Connor’s line, she waited for a moment before speaking.

“Mr. Mason?”

His low baritone voice came over the intercom, ma
k
ing her insides flutter. “Callie, I asked you to hold all of my calls,” he replied, sounding annoyed.

She couldn’t help but be thankful that he didn’t reco
g
nize her voice. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mason, but there’s a Mira
n
da
Talbott
here to see you. She says that you have a lunch appointment.”

Feeling a moment of triumphant anticipation, she waited for him to dismiss the woman. Then, Ms. Plastic could be on her way back to wherever she came from.

“I’ll be right out,” he said.

Slowly, she replaced the receiver, trying her best to stamp down the jealousy that coursed through her veins. Her gaze rose to meet a very quizzical pair of hazels.

“He’ll be right out,” she repeated.

The words sounded as hollow as they felt.

The other woman tilted her head to offer her a sarca
s
tic glare, her lips pursed. “Thank you,” she replied.

Connor appeared around the corner, shrugging into his jacket. When his gaze collided with Melanie’s, a guilty look clouded his features.

“Melanie, what are you doing up here?” he inquired, his gaze flicking back and forth between the two women.

“I’m covering for Callie. She had a lunch date. She didn’t tell me that you had one too,” she answered brusqu
e
ly.

She hadn’t meant to say the last part, but before she could stop it, the words were out.

Miranda took a step forward to press herself against Connor. “I wanted to surprise you. I know how you love my little surprises,” she cooed.

Melanie fought the urge to roll her eyes as she turned back to face the computer.

“I do have a lot of work to do, Miranda,” he allowed.

“I know, but I had to see you. Besides, you can’t work all the time. You have to eat,” she reasoned.

“Alright,” he conceded.

They walked over to the front door. When they reached it, he looked back at Melanie.

“I’ll be back in an hour.”

She nodded, not even giving him the satisfaction of looking at him. Once they were gone, she shook her head. She couldn’t believe that she had actually thought he was a
t
tractive.

What a fool she had been!

He obviously had a girlfriend.

A girlfriend he’d conveniently forgotten to tell her about.

He was probably one of those guys who thought an omission wasn’t a lie.

Men were all the same. They all had a one-track mind, and unfortunately, it was in their pants. They should all come with a full disclosure rule so no woman would get duped into purchasing a lemon. If it worked for houses, it had to work for men too. Besides that, in her experience, men had a lot more to hide than wood rot and bad wiring.

They had things like silent girlfriends.

* * * *

“Melanie, could you come in here for a minute?”

She glared at the intercom. She’d like to tell him to go straight to hell, but she knew she couldn’t. Grabbing a ye
l
low legal pad and a pen, she reluctantly got to her feet. A
f
ter the little display he made earlier, she wanted nothing more than to avoid him.

Preferably for another year.

But unfortunately, she knew that that wasn’t an option.

Once she reached the door to his office, she took a deep breath before lightly rapping her knuckles on the hard wood.

“Come in,” she heard him call out.

Opening the door, she entered his office. He sat behind his desk, his back to her.

“I know,” she heard him say.

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion until she saw the cord stretched around the arm of the chair. O
b
viously, he was on the phone. She started to turn to leave,
but he spun around, his eyes meeting hers. He held up an index finger, silently asking her to give him a minute.

“I have to go,” he said.

Uncertain of what to do, she stood motionless in front him.

“I know,” he said, a smile gracing his face. “I will. I promise. Bye.”

With that, he hung up. Raising his head, he pinned her with an expectant stare.

“Have a seat,” he suggested, motioning to the chairs in front of his desk.

Walking across the room, she reluctantly took a seat in front of him. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to go back to her desk and pretend that he didn’t exist.

But, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

“Sorry about that. The call came through after I called you in here.”

Refusing to meet his gaze, she looked away. “I’m just an employee. You don’t have to explain things to me.”