Chapter Twelve
Conference Room, round two
I’m a teeny bit drunk, a little giddy and every time the bass of the music booms, I can see it. Actual colors appear in front of me. Swirls of pink, yellow and purple dance in front of my eyes.
Okay, so maybe I’m more than a little drunk, but truth be told, I think I’m more high on life tonight.
Nik arranged for the guys to have the night off and we all sit at our classy black leather booth, drinking cherry bombs, talking and laughing. All but one of us, that is. Suddenly annoyed at myself, I know it shouldn’t bother me but I can’t help but wonder why Ghost isn’t here. I turn to Max and ask, “Where’s Casper?”
Max looks a little stunned before his mouth spreads into a knowing grin. I flip him the bird and ask Nik, “Where’s Ghost?”
“He’s out on the floor.” Nik points downstairs before waving his hand in dismissal. “Some safety thing. The guy never quits.”
My mind made up, I stand. “I’m going to find him and bring him up.” Everyone stares up at me wearing stunned expressions. All of them, that is, except for Tina who sweetly smiles up at me and nods her approval.
I flick my hair, roll my eyes at them all and yell out, “Laters.”
Halfway down the stairs, I spot him, sexy as always in a tight black tee and black jeans, his hair styled with the wax my sister gave him. I see his silver belt buckle sparkle from where I am. My smile falters when I realize he’s at the bar talking to a very pretty brunette. I think about turning back, but somewhere deep in my gut annoyance builds, and before I can reason with myself, I stomp across the room and over to him.
Once I’m behind him, I tap his shoulder and say loudly, “Hey Ash, I got some of your mail today.” Ms. Pretty Brunette narrows her eyes at me. I look up at Ghost and put on my best sheepish expression, “Only I didn’t know it was yours until after I opened it. Turns out you’ve got the clap!” Pretty lady looks up at Ghost in disgust. Scrunching my brow and looking up in thought, I utter, “You better get that treated ASAP. I think you can go blind from that shit!” Pretty brunette starts to walk away and I mutter, “Yeah. Buhbye.”
Ghost shakes his head and chuckles. “Seriously? You’re cock-blocking me?”
I’m drunk therefore my brain-to-mouth filter is on the fritz. I poke him in the chest and accuse, “The last time you had a woman over after a club night, she was a screamer! Y’all kept me up all freaking night with her ‘Oh God’ and ‘Yes, Yes More!’”
People are starting to look at us. I’m sure this has something to do with the fact that not only am I prancing around while imitating Tasha ScreamFace, I’m actually yelling out ‘Oh God’ and ‘Yes, Yes More’. Ghost doesn’t care though. He just keeps chuckling at my tipsy antics.
I mutter, “Oh, hell no. You are not keeping me up all night again.” The sudden urge to go to the bathroom takes hold of me. I look up at an amused Ghost and announce a little too loudly, “Holy shitballs, I need to pee!” I walk off without looking back. Head to the ladies, do what I need to do then walk out of the restrooms and back over to Ghost.
And I stop in my tracks.
Are you freaking kidding me?
Ghost is at the bar and, not one, but two pretty blondes flank him. One of the women has her hand on his chest and the other bats her lashes up at him. I roll my eyes at them.
Amateurs.
I look down to check on my appearance. I look good. Not overly sexy, but classy. I’m wearing one of Tina’s little black dresses. This one is tight and long sleeved with a high neck but it’s completely backless. Put a dress like this with a pair of suede ankle boots and you’ve got a combination that works for any occasion. I straighten my dress, adjust my boobs and push out my belly as much as I can.
I channel my inner wifey and stalk over to Ghost and his newest lady friends. He actually looks at my protruding belly in concern and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. I poke his chest and hiss, “This is how I find you? All over a couple of nice ladies? Did you tell them, Ash? Did you tell them when I was due?” I point down at my belly and the two women look at me with sadness in their eyes before glaring up at Ghost.
One woman tells him, “You’re an a*shole!” while the other says, “You should be ashamed of yourself!” They shoot me apologetic looks before they walk away.
Ghost’s head falls back as he roars with laughter. He looks back at me smiling hard. “I might be angry if you weren’t so ridiculous.”
Smiling back at him, I pinch the sides of the skintight dress and curtsy. “I’m here all night. Try the veal.”
His smiling eyes turn predatory as he very obviously takes me in. He stalks over to me, takes my hand and pulls me to him. Lowering his face to my neck, he breathes me in.
My eyes widen and I tense, stiff as a board. This has to be a joke. At least, I think he’s playing with me until his breath heats my neck as he says, “Conference room is free, pretty girl. Nat and Asher round two is sounding real good right now.”
My body becomes lax in his hold, but my head screams don’t do it! I lean my head back, allowing him better access and he trails kisses up my neck and behind my ear. My head clears a little and with the best British accent I can summon, I pat his shoulder and say, “Not tonight, dear.”
Why I thought that would work, I really have no idea.
Without detaching his skilled mouth from my neck, Ghost moves my arms from my sides and lifts them to circle his neck. He wraps me up and pulls me tighter into his hard body. I feel his arousal through his jeans and instinctively rub my front against it. Ghost groans then says, “C’mon, pretty girl. At least give me a birthday kiss.”
What the frick?
Pushing his shoulders back hard, I look up into his face, my expression stunned. “It’s your birthday?”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal, replying, “Yeah, a few days ago.”
I’m so freakin’ pissed. My face scrunches and I push his shoulder again even harder. I tell him, “You are such an assface!”
Ghost’s face becomes confused and he asks, “What did I say?”
Putting my arms in the air, I answer loudly, “Nothing! That’s the point! You weren’t gonna tell me? Friends tell each other things like that. I could’ve made you a cake!” I puff out an annoyed breath, take his hand and drag him upstairs right past the booth of our friends’ questioning glances, through the door behind the VIP bar, and all the way down to the conference room. Once I push him into the dimly lit room, I lock the door, turn my angry face up to look into his clearly confused face and tell him, “Happy motherf*cking birthday, douchebag.”
Then I slowly pull my arms out of my sleeves and slide the top of my dress down to my stomach to reveal my bare breasts. His hooded gaze passes over my body as he sits on the edge of the conference table. The alcohol I’ve consumed this evening makes this easier than it would be otherwise. He lifts his face to mine and crooks a finger at me. And like some invisible string is attached to that finger, my feet slowly move towards him. When I reach his knee, I ask, “What is this?”
Ghosts looks into my eyes and shrugs. “Two people f*cking.”
I nod in agreement then smile. “Two neighbors f*cking.”
He smirks. “Two friends f*cking.”
My smile turns into a grin. “Just two people who enjoy f*cking.”
Ghost finishes on a chuckle, “And like saying f*ck a lot.”
Oh yeah, this is awesome!
“Okay. I’m good with that.” I agree, nodding.
Ghost brushes my cheek with his thumb in a tender gesture. He says softly, “I promised myself if I ever got you again I’d do it right.”
Oh dear God. The feels!
That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard him say, and it affects me so much that I have to cover it quick, or risk him seeing this means something more to me.
Fake laughter bursts out of me and I ask him, “Wait. You think two orgasms is wrong? I like the monkey sex, Ash. I like it a lot.”
Ghost stands and runs his hands down my arms. He lowers his face to mine and speaks against my lips, “No more talking, pretty girl. I want you.”
Sweet baby Jesus, I want him too. The moisture seeps from my core, soaking my thong.
What do you expect? The man is a sexual god and the last time I had sex was over a year ago!
With my brain-to-mouth filter still on the fritz, I accidentally blurt out, “I missed you.” And as I’m saying it my brain mentally shouts STOP!
I immediately feel like a jackass. My face flushes, my body tenses and I’m mortified. His fingers come under my chin. He tries to lift my face, but I pull away from his hold. He says firmly, “Look at me.” He says this in a way that I know it isn’t a request.
I lift my face but avoid contact with his eyes. He pulls his arms tight around my waist and sighs. “Let me tell you a story. One day, right here at the club, I met this girl. Some crazy-assed girl. She had bright purple-pink hair, gorgeous green eyes with a rocking curvy body that could make any man hard. F*cking stunning.” He pauses for effect and I try desperately to hide my grin behind my hand.
My hair was magenta, actually. But, do go on…
Catching my grin, the ass smirks. He clears his throat and continues. “So, as per usual, I’m a f*cking ass to her. That’s not because of her, it’s just who I am. But instead of running or getting upset, she stares me down like the a*shole I am. And I can only think about one thing.”
He plays with my hair and runs his hands down my bare back as though he’s finished telling his story. Clearly going insane from not knowing, I demand, “Well? What was the one thing?”
Ghost moves his large hands to rest on my hips and stares at my breasts. Completely ignoring me, he mumbles, “F*ck. You’ve got great tits, babe.” I open my mouth to hurl some form of abuse at him when he lowers his face in between my breasts and nuzzles the sensitive flesh there.
Leaning back, I sigh, running my fingers through his now-short hair. Against my skin, he admits, “The only thing I could think about was how that girl was somehow going to rock my world. And, f*ck me, she did. I was sneaking around to get close to her. Making sure she had no place to sit apart from next to me so I could listen to her talk. Something about that girl was calming me. Making life easier for me.” Planting kisses up my chest to my throat, he nips the skin there and goes on. “Then just when I think everything’s going well, she stiffs me. Tells me we should avoid each other. And even though it damn near kills me, I tell her it’s cool, even though it’s really f*cking not. So I spend the next few months f*cking everything with a pulse because I can’t have that girl.”
My heart squeezes at that last part. I had no idea he felt that way. I was too selfish to notice.
His kisses a trail up my chin, tracing up my jaw and back down til he reaches my lips once more. I hold his face in my hands and smack gentle kisses on his lips while looking into his eyes. An almost apology. With smiling eyes, he continues. “The thing is, nothing I did got this girl out of my head. She became an obsession. My choice of girls got pickier. No redheads. No green eyes. No curves. No attitude.” He runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “Definitely no sexy-as-hell, full blowjob lips.” His intense stare remains focused on my lips and he whispers, “Spent months thinking about what these lips would taste like. F*cking drove me crazy.”
I swallow hard.
Holy shitballs, this is intense. Then again everything with Ghost is intense. With every word he says, my heart swells a little. I almost have a pulse again. I’m nearly alive again.
I put my hands on his chest and manage to find my voice, “Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shushes me, makes a show of clearing his throat and continues the story. “Then one night, I think I’ve gone nuts because there she is, the obsession, at my door. F*ck me. So beautifully mussed. She’s in these goofy pajamas, her slippers are actual mouse heads and she’s angry. Real angry. She tells me we’re neighbors and to please f*ck my night’s conquest a little quieter. As quickly as she came, she’s gone. No way in hell I can get it up now, so I send the woman home. But all night I think about my obsession. And knowing she lives next to me, without even having contact with her, it makes me calmer and lighter. It’s like the seven months without her were forgotten and I knew I had to do something to keep her around.”
He kisses me softly once, twice. Then, “Now, after all that bullshit, I know a few things.” He kisses me again, his tongue traces my lips. “I know she tastes like cherries and smells like vanilla. That I can trust her and I do. We’re friends because we understand each other. She told me once we’re the same kind. We just get each other. She’s the first person I’ve met who doesn’t want to change me or force me to open up. She just lets me be. And that’s what I need.”
He grins against my lips. “So, I guess you could say I missed you too, pretty girl.”
Oh. My. God.
My belly warms. I’m full of feels right now.
I’m on an information overload. I had no idea about any of this. He calls me his obsession and I totally get it. It’s not a creepy thing. I am for him what he is to me. He’s my sexual perfection and nothing else compares. I want him. He wants me. And knowing he missed me as much as I missed him is awesome. I feel like we’re equal. No one has the upper hand here. There’s a mutual trust we share. He didn’t have to share, but he did because he trusts me to keep that information safe. And, by thunder, I will.
My lips still against his, I whisper, “Your kisses give me a lady boner.”
Puffs of his breath mingle with mine as he chuckles. I smile.
This is nice.
Feeling braver after listening to his little story, I step back from him. Running my fingertips down my ribs to my hips, I lightly grip my dress, then push it past my thighs to fall onto the floor. I watch as his eyes trace every curve of my body. Only wearing a little black thong and ankle boots, I take his hand and pull him to stand. “I want to see you tonight. All of you.”
His brow furrows and he opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off with a kiss. I pull back a little and speak, “I’ve already seen you, Ash. I want it. All or nothing.”
Neither of us says a thing for a few moments. I allow his silence but decide to make some form of contact. Knowing I could be making a huge mistake makes my gut clench. Putting on a brave face, I reach for the hem of his t-shirt and grip it. I look up and into his eyes for some form of permission. Wearing a frown, he nods once avoiding my eyes. Relief courses through my veins and I slowly lift his shirt. My heart thumps in anger when the first scar appears just below his bellybutton and it just gets worse with the more I see. They’re all so jagged and angry looking, puffed but faded. I wonder where they came from. Masking my emotions, I lift the shirt over his head and try my hardest to look into his face.
I rest my hands lightly around the base of his neck and clear my throat. He lifts his lowered face to look up at me and I smile my most saucy smile. I whisper, “Let’s get it on.”
His lip tilts up at one corner to form a crooked, sexy smile.
Oh, yeah baby!
It’s on.