22. Roses Are Red

Chapter 22

Roses Are Red

Jade

I refreshed our order sales system for what felt like the twentieth time, not believing what I was seeing. Our sales were skyrocketing, and it was all thanks to Noah.

It had been almost a month since the fire, and Noah’s lawyers had finally given him the go ahead to release a statement. The investigation was still ongoing, but there was no “innocent until proven guilty” in business. Sales had leveled out for Ravishing Whispers, but we were still ten percent below where we should have been.

But now things were looking promising with meeting the sales projections we had made before the whole fire fiasco.

Noah had released his statement on his social media, which wasn’t too big of a deal, but then Lex had shared it, and sales had skyrocketed in the past four hours .

It is with great relief that I can finally speak on the fire that happened at my girlfriend Jade Dalton’s home and the fact that I believe it was not caused by any products from her company, Ravishing Whispers.

The unfortunate incident was due to a toy I had gifted to Jade. As we had just used the toy, Jade was charging it and left it plugged in.

While Jade and I thoroughly enjoyed that particular toy, I can say with certainty that nothing compares to the high-quality products offered by Ravishing Whispers. The company has spent the last month retesting all of their products to ensure the utmost safety and reliability.

With that being said, I would highly recommend Ravishing Whispers’ Whispering Wave as a toy every woman should own. While it can be used solo, using it together is even more enjoyable. Don’t forget the high-quality lubricant they offer.

We are grateful that no one was harmed in the fire, and we appreciate the privacy and understanding of the community during this time.

My heart was full of gratitude for Noah. The month we’d lived together had its share of hiccups and adjustments, but I’d come to the conclusion that if he asked me to just continue living there, I would.

There was a knock on my office door, and I shut my laptop. “Come in!”

Kendall popped her head in. “We’re all set to meet with marketing at two.”

“Great.” I stood and grabbed my purse out of the drawer. “I should be back shortly before then. ”

She opened the door fully and smiled. “I told you it would all work out.”

I sucked in and released a breath. “I feel like I can finally breathe again.”

“That’s just not true. Despite everything, you have been so happy the past month.” She put her hand on my arm as I joined her in the doorway. “Don’t let him go.”

“No plans to.” I grinned, and my stomach growled. “I’m going to surprise Noah by taking him lunch.”

He’d surprised me several times by bringing me lunch over the past few weeks, and now it was time to turn the tables. I could already picture his face lighting up as I walked into his office with his favorite sandwich.

“Have fun.” She winked as I brushed past her and headed for the elevator. I was hoping there wasn’t any press outside the building.

The first week after the fire, they had been relentless, especially the less than reputable media. They’d finally stopped camping out in front of the house when they realized there wasn’t much of a story beyond the closet full of cocks.

As the elevator slid open on the ground floor, my eyes immediately landed on a figure standing outside the windows while talking on the phone. My heart sank.

Tyler.

What the hell was he doing here? Since seeing him at the football game, he’d been forgotten, and I’d finally let go of the insecurity that Noah might treat me like he had.

I thought I’d made it perfectly clear that I never wanted to see his cheating ass again when we’d broken up forever ago, but there he was, holding a bouquet of flowers. As if sensing me approaching the door, he turned and smiled, hanging up with whoever he was talking to.

Trying not to let my anger or nerves get to me, I stood taller as I exited the building. “What are you doing here?”

“Jade, hey.” He took a step toward me, and I instinctively took a step back. “Can we talk?”

Confused and annoyed that he was encroaching on my lunch break, I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I needed to see you.” He held out the red roses which were beautiful but completely inappropriate and not even a flower I liked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past month. I made a mistake, a huge mistake. And I can’t stop thinking about you.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the flowers he was still holding out to me and letting them hang at my side. “A mistake? You cheated on me because, and I quote, I loved my toys more than I loved you.”

“Babe, you know I was going through so much with my company and was under a lot of stress.” He took a step closer, reaching out to put his hand on my arm.

I turned so his hand missed its trajectory. “Does your wife know you’re here?”

He didn’t even seem fazed by the mention of his wife. “I was an idiot. I didn’t realize what I had until I saw you at the game and I saw you with that guy.”

The mere mention of Noah had my hackles raising. “With my boyfriend, you mean. The man who actually loves and respects me. ”

Tyler’s face fell, and for a moment, I almost felt bad for him. What a miserable human being. “We can fix this.”

“Absolutely not.” I glared at him, willing him to disappear. “There’s nothing to fix. Actually, I take that back. You need to fix yourself.”

“But I love you.” He stepped closer, his eyes pleading. “I made a mistake, but I know we can work through this. I want us to be together again.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Jesus Christ, are you on something? That’s never going to happen. I don’t love you, and I never did.”

Suddenly, Tyler’s expression changed, a smile spreading across his face as he surged forward and wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t believe that. I know you still love me. I can feel it.”

I was so stunned by his sudden actions that I couldn’t move, frozen in place as he pressed his lips to my neck. But the moment quickly passed, and I shoved him away.

What the actual fuck was that?

He reached for me again, and I raised the bouquet of roses, hitting him across the face with them. I hoped there were some thorns. “Don’t touch me!”

“Ow, fuck!” He shielded his face as I smacked him again.

A few people stopped to watch the spectacle, their phones already out and recording. Great, now I was going to have to deal with headlines about a flower assault.

“Get out of here now before I shove these up your ass!” I threw the now mangled bouquet at his head as he backed away .

Tyler looked stunned, and before he could get another word out, I turned, running right into a solid wall of a man.

“There a problem here?” Noah put his hands on my arms and looked past me at Tyler.

“She hit me!” Tyler held his cheek.

Noah moved so quickly that I didn’t have time to even grab on to his arm. He fisted Tyler’s shirt and tie and shoved him against the glass window of my building. “If you ever put your hands on her without her consent again, you’ll have more than just a little scratch on your cheek. Do you understand?”

Tyler was out of his element on this, and he raised his hands in surrender. “I understand.”

I looked at the gathered crowd, tugging gently on Noah’s arm. “People are filming.”

“Good, let the world see what happens when someone touches what’s mine.” His voice was a low growl, and his words made me want to pull him away to somewhere private and rip his clothes off.

A security guard came out of the building. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Make sure he’s escorted down the street, and have the surveillance footage sent to me. Please send it to my personal lawyer as well.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Noah let Tyler go, and the guard quickly grabbed Tyler’s arm, turning him in the opposite direction. Surprisingly, he didn’t protest or look over his shoulder as he was escorted away. I couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to show up at my work, try and worm his way back into my life, and then pull the stunt he had.

A few people started to clap and cheer, and I was tempted to join them.

Noah took my hand, entwining our fingers. “I was coming to take you out to lunch.”

My heart melted, and I turned to face him, not caring that people were still watching. “I was headed to pick up sandwiches for us when I was rudely accosted.”

Noah lifted his free hand and placed it on my neck where Tyler had planted his lips. “Are you okay?”

“It was cathartic to beat him with the roses.” A giggle escaped. “I completely snapped. I can’t wait to watch the footage.”

He put his lips against my ear so only I could hear. “It was pretty hot. Let’s go pick up the sandwiches, and then I’ll show you just how hot it was.”

Our offices were less than a mile away from each other, and the sandwich shop was right in the middle, so it took us no time to get to Badden Apparel. Noah had wanted to go back to my office because it was more private, but with everything that had happened out front, I didn’t want to deal with my employees asking questions the moment they saw me.

“Dude.” Lex came out of his office as soon as we passed by his door. “You are all over social media. The touch-her-and-die vibes were loud . Even I swooned a bit.”

“It hasn’t even been thirty minutes.” Noah opened his office door and gestured for me to enter ahead of him. “Don’t you have a project to get done?”

Lex’s smile faltered. “Yeah, yeah. I’m on it.” He lifted his hand in a goodbye as he turned and went back into his office.

“What was that about?” I set the bag of sandwiches on the small meeting table and kicked off my heels.

“Gabriel gave him his first client, and he’s struggling.” Noah shut his door and locked it. “He has major time management and organization issues. He needs a personal assistant, but the last one he had was stealing his socks.”

I laughed. “His socks?”

“Yeah, I don’t even want to know what he was doing with them, but since then, Lex has sworn off having a PA.” Noah stalked toward me, a glint in his eye. “But let’s not talk about Lex anymore.”

He pulled me flush against him, one of his hands sliding down to rest on my ass. “This skirt... you need it in every color.”

“Yeah?” I trailed my fingers along his belt until I got to the buckle. “You were really sexy earlier.”

“Hm?” He trailed his lips along my jaw, pausing at my ear. “Are you going to show me how sexy?”

My breath hitched as he pulled my earlobe between his teeth. “You have to be quiet.”

He scoffed. “You’re one to talk.”

I unbuckled his belt, my heart pounding in my chest. We’d only fucked in my office and conference room before, but here at Badden Apparel? The entire executive floor was open concept, and sound would travel.

He helped me undo his pants, and I pushed them down just far enough as I lowered to my knees in front of him. I looked up at him, and the heat burning in his eyes made my panties even wetter.

Licking my lips in preparation, I wrapped my hand around his shaft, feeling him twitch in my grasp. I leaned forward, my tongue darting out to taste the pre-cum that had gathered at the tip.

He groaned as soon as I took him all the way into my mouth. I relaxed, taking him even deeper. He fumbled with my claw clip and when my hair tumbled out, he buried his fingers in it.

“Fuck, baby, that’s it,” he praised in a low, hushed voice. “Swallow my cock.”

I did just as he asked, and his fingers tightened in my hair. Watching my man come undone was one of my favorite hobbies. My hand worked in tandem with my mouth as I bobbed up and down. His cock got even harder, and his breathing became even more ragged. I knew he was close, and I wanted to push him over the edge.

But before I could, he pulled me to my feet, his lips crashing against mine. He walked us backward, his hands pulling up my skirt before he gripped my ass and lifted me onto his desk.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer as our tongues tangled together, fighting for dominance. His hardness pressed against my core, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed him inside me.

“Need. You,” I got out between kisses.

He pulled my thong down my legs, letting it fall to the floor. Reaching between us, I guided him to my entrance. He thrust into me, filling me completely, and I bit my lip as a soft moan escaped despite my best efforts.

“I’ve dreamed about fucking you just like this.” He began to move, his hips rolling as he hit that perfect spot inside me.

I clung to him, my nails digging into his back as he drove into me. The tension in my body was building, my clit throbbing with the need to be touched. Noah batted my hand away as I tried to reach between us, and he gave me exactly what I wanted.

“Yes, Noah.” I threw my head back, my eyes closing in absolute bliss. “Don’t stop.”

“Never.” He kissed up my throat and along my neck as he continued to piston inside me and rub my clit.

I didn’t want it to end, but my orgasm ripped through me. As I started to cry out, Noah captured the sound with his mouth. My walls squeezed around him as I came, and with a few more thrusts, he found his own release.

He broke our kiss, his breaths coming in pants. “We need to do this more often.”

“But then you won’t get to hear me scream your name.” I ran my fingers through his hair to fix it right as my watch pinged with a text.

From my mom. I groaned and held my wrist up for Noah to see.

He chuckled and grabbed some tissue from a box on his desk before sliding out of me. “She probably got calls from her pearl-clutching friends.”

“I’m scared to look.” I ignored a second and third ping as Noah cleaned me up. I needed to at least be breathing correctly before subjecting myself to what was sure to be a lecture about public decorum.

I slid off the desk and retrieved my thong, which Noah plucked from my hand and shoved into his pocket with a smirk.

“I’m going to drip your cum all over the place.” I grabbed more tissue and shoved it between my legs.

“Kind of the point.” He kissed my cheek and pulled up his pants before going to the table and opening the bag of sandwiches. “Shall we eat?”

My stomach growled as I walked to the table and carefully sat down. If I ended up with jizz all over the back of my skirt, I was going to implement a condom only rule when not at home.

“I’m too scared to see what she wrote. Here.” I handed him my cell phone. “Read them to me.”

Noah took my phone and snorted.

Mother: Your father just sent me a video of you smacking Tyler with roses.

Mother: I’m proud of you.

Mother: You should have kneed him in the balls for good measure.

I grabbed the phone back and stared at the messages in shock before I started to laugh. Who knew my mom had jokes?

After Noah’s visit to my dad, my parents had been making an effort to mend our relationship. It was going to be a long process after almost a decade of them being assholes, but my mom telling me she was proud of me was a step in the right direction.

And so was her suggesting violence. “I didn’t think she had a violent bone in her body.”

Noah unwrapped my sandwich and slid it to me. I put my phone away and looked up, finding him staring at me intently. “Am I dreaming?”

“What?” I was confused until his lips quirked. I rolled my eyes, just like I always did when I sensed he was about to hit me with a corny pickup line.

He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “Being with you feels too good to be real.”