25. Working For You

"Sorry about the long night," Sage said to him on the drive home from the party.

"It was fine. It was fun. I've never been to a work holiday party before."

"Never?" she asked.

"Well," he said. "I've got a small staff. I normally just take them out to lunch or something and give them bonuses."

Knox figured it was the least he could do for the guys that stuck it out with him.

He didn't think he was a bad boss. He just wasn't someone to shoot the shit all the time. Not one to go out and party.

He offered benefits to his employees, gave them time off and paid them well. He wasn't out to get rich with his business. He already was.

But he wasn't working for free or losing money either.

He paid himself a decent salary and did the same for his employees and still had a nice surplus. That was good enough for him.

"Which is great," she said. "We get products for Christmas. I mean we get things a few times a year, but at Christmas it"s a bit more."

"That's nice of them. It helps advertise it too," he said, smiling.

"It does. That was always Poppy's idea. That is what worked for Kate."

"And it's working for you too," he said.

"It is," she said. "I'm starting to feel like what you said. That it's not about someone getting me the job but me doing well at it. What I bring to them."

"That's right."

"Like these leather pants I bring to you."

"Oh yeah," he said. "Are you cold? You know, down there?"

She laughed at the mischievous look on his face. "Well, being outside I can say it's like air conditioning when the cold air hits them."

"I'll warm you up," he said, his hand reaching over on the seat and rubbing on her thigh. "Damn, they are cold."

"Told you," she said.

They went to her place rather than his house. They'd been trying to split their time at different places. She'd told him she appreciated that.

In the past he knew he never went out of his way to be accommodating. He hated to think it was all his way, but there were times it might have been and that was why he was single.

His mother always said his father was like that and he didn't want to do it.

It was just so hard to balance it in his life, but he knew with Sage that it was love that made him want to make sure they were compromising together.

That he was giving it everything he had in the hopes of finding the dream he'd always wanted.

It wasn't fair to ask her to always be at his house for that.

When they got to her condo, he parked and they made their way to the elevator.

"Ever have sex in a public place?" he asked, pulling her into his arms. They were alone and his body was on fire after watching her walk around in those pants tonight.

Her light brown hair was done up with some loose waves in it. She had some black liner or something around her eyes making them pop even more.

"No," she said. "And not going to even try it."

"Too bad," he said. His hands moved down to her ass and yanked her close to his crotch.

"Someone is ready to play," she said, grinding against him.

"Do you know how hard it's been to keep this to myself tonight?"

She let out a little giggle. "Nope," she said. "Guess what?"

"What?" he asked when the elevator dinged and the doors opened on her floor.

"I'm not cold down there anymore."

"Good to know," he said.

They got through her door and he spun her in his arms, his mouth crushing hers.

He wasn't sure he could make it to her bedroom.

"I'm on the pill," she said.

"Thank God," he said. "The living room it is."

"Wherever we land is fine with me," she said.

His hands went to the bottom of her sweater, lifted it up and tossed it somewhere in the room.

She did the same with his sweater and they were both groping and reaching and yanking clothes off fast.

Her pants got hung up on her ankle boots and when he saw her in the black lace thong he just stopped and stared as if he'd been knocked upside the head by a frying pan in some silly cartoon.

"Shit," he said. "I'm glad I didn't know that is what was under your pants."

She kind of had one leg up trying to undo the zipper of her boots. "How about a little bit of help here?"

He was toeing off his shoes and removing his socks. She was bending now and managed to get both boots off and then sat on the chair.

"Do you still need help?"

"Yank them off," she said, trying to scissor her legs. "They are tight at the ankles."

She was on her chair and he grabbed them and started to pull. "Holy crap, how did you get them on?"

"No clue," she said.

After some wiggling, he got them off her and fell back a few steps. "I'm going to have to thank Kate when I see her again for these pants, but they aren't easy to get off."

"They are off now, so get to it," she said, spreading her legs some for him in an invitation meant to bring a weaker man to his knees.

Yeah, he was going to his knees at some point. He knew it.

He dropped his underwear down, then pulled her up from where she was still sitting on the chair.

His mouth went back to hers and she jumped up a bit, wrapping her legs around his waist.

What guy didn't fantasize about something like this?

He knew he sure the hell did.

They were kissing and he was trying to figure out where to go and what to do. He hadn't been this clueless about sex since he was eighteen.

"The wall, Knox. Find a wall to put me against and fuck me."

He didn't care she was telling him what to do. He needed it because his brain couldn't function with her rubbing against him. The only things she had on were her black lace bra and thong, and they were adding a layer of friction to his body.

He moved a few steps and had her back against the door. It was the closest wall he could find with no pictures on it. No reason to knock something down and break it.

"Thong on or off?" he asked.

"Don't care and don't talk," she said. "Surprise me if you have to."

He laughed but stopped when her mouth went back to his, her tongue invading and telling him exactly what she wanted.

He was going to give it to her.

With Sage pushed against the wall, his hand moved down and nudged the thong out of the way, he found her opening and slid in and just had to stay there and feel for the moment. To take mental inventory so he didn't drop her.

Sage wouldn't let him though.

She was bucking against him, pushing forward and back and letting him know any way she could that she wanted more from him.

He had one hand on the wall, the other on her hip and started to jerk up into her. It's not like he could move much in this position, but it was enough.

Must be for her too because she was squeezing around his hips tightly with her legs, her nails on his shoulders. It was starting to sting and he was sure she had no idea what she was doing.

The next thing he knew, he felt her muscles squeezing him tight. "Are you coming?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes."

She was chatting it with each thrust he was giving her. All but shoving into her until he followed along and came just as hard as she seemed to be doing.

When he was done he found he was leaning against the wall, probably squishing her in the process.

"Sorry," he said. "I'll bring us to the bathroom."'

He didn't pull out, as he didn't want to make a mess, but brought her to the bathroom off her room and then set her down and walked out to give her privacy. He went to the bathroom in the hall.

When he opened the door after he was done, she wasn't out yet so he went to get his underwear and pants that he'd flung in the living room.

"Can I tell you how sweet it was you carried me to the bathroom?"

He turned in the process of yanking his pants up. "What?"

"You brought me to the bathroom rather than letting everything fall out all over the floor."

"It seemed to be the thing to do," he said.

"Still sweet."

He wondered if she'd done that with another man and had to clean it up.

Nope, not going there. He didn't want to think of her with another man even though he knew she'd been with them.

The same as he'd been with other women.

Sometimes it was better to just keep those things locked up even if he wanted to know more.

But knowing more about her might mean he'd have to say more about his life too and it was bad enough that last week Blaze let a few hints out.

Sage hadn't asked. He hadn't volunteered.

They loved each other and it'd have to be enough for now.

A few months meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even if he wanted it to mean everything.